lifeonringroad

[lifeonringroad]

Life Imitates Art: The Ayala Statues and Their Representation of Each Quarter at UCI.

By: Liliana Lucas

If you’ve been at UCI for more than a quarter then you’re sure to have stumbled upon the white marble statues behind the Francisco J. Ayala Science Library. No one really questions their purpose or origin, and they often times go ignored due to their isolated location. However, if you find the time to take one quick look, you’ll realize that these statues are a really accurate representation of each of your quarters here at UCI. Starting from fall quarter freshman year to spring quarter of your senior year. Not following along? Allow me to explain.

Fall Quarter Freshman Year

It’s a new environment you’re away from home and on your own for perhaps the first time in your life. You’re an adult now, you have to wake yourself up for classes, buy all the access codes and books for those classes, find a new job, and stress out about joining a club to be a viable applicant for graduate school. Like our friend above, the world is closing in on you, and there’s really not much you can do besides deal with it like an adult would–even though you were a still treated as a teenager just a few months ago.

Winter Quarter, Freshman Year

You’ve had some time to adjust to your new life and environment now. Your first quarter trial run is now over and you’re trying to find ways to improve yourself. The world is no longer closing in you because you’ve had a break and made some new friends who have made it easier on you. But you’re still a freshman and still new to this life, so now it’s your own habits that are stressing you out. The walls are closing in on you and you’re trying to push them away–but change is hard. 

Spring Quarter, Freshman Year

Wow time flies, doesn’t it?! The walls feel even tighter now because you realize that you need to step up your game. Your first year may have been memorable but the ending always brings on anxious feelings of your future. You need some time to take things in, and to realize that college is a unique part of your life that goes by too quickly. You sit like the statue above in the corner of your room looking up wondering about what your future holds, and anxious about what to expect. But on the bright side, you’ve survived your first year alone, perhaps a little stressed and overweight, but you did it.

Fall Quarter, Sophomore Year

Okay you’re back from a long summer, or perhaps summer school. You’re no longer a naive freshman, you’ve got the map of the school memorized like the layout of your home. Your head is clear and although the walls you created your freshman year have yet to fade, you can see more clearly what it is you should do. It’s time to finish those GE’s, and if you haven’t already, decide what major you want to pursue. Don’t get too confident though because this ego can lead to big head like our friend above. So choose wisely, because time is ticking. 

Winter Quarter, Sophomore Year

Oh no, you’ve chosen the wrong major. Or if that’s not the case then you’re unsure about what you’re doing. Your GE’s are almost done so you don’t have any more of the “easy” classes to fall back on now. But your studies have been so broad that you’re not so easily convinced as to what to settle down with. You’re lost, tangled in a bed of indecision, and you’re starting to realize that your freshman habits like skipping class and not doing readings are catching up to you quickly. You’ll push through because you’re strong and you’ve come this far.

Spring Quarter, Sophomore Year 

You’ve untangled your mind now. You’ve either settled on a major or you’ve started taking more classes that interest you. But you’re facing the same wall that closes in on you every year at the same time of the year. It’s the end of your second year, and now half of your college career is over. You sit there crouched trying not to panic, because you’re still young, right?

Fall Quarter, Junior Year

You’re a veteran now, you can now balance all the weight that’s been thrown on you on your head. But you still can’t help but feel that you’re not doing enough. you lay your head in your hands in exasperation because you realize that the days of carelessness and partying are over. It’s time to focus, the GE’s are finished and now you’re to become a master of your major. 

Winter Quarter, Junior Year

For some odd reason, the rapid approach of the end of your third year makes you busier than ever before. You’re becoming two people at once, a professional and a scholar. By now you’ve probably mastered juggling and on campus job and class, but this is the time when you realize you need to start gaining experience in the real world. You need to start becoming the person you want to be, but still incorporating the person college made you. 

Spring Quarter, Junior Year 

By now, you’ve either been accepted for an internship or job, and if you haven’t then perhaps you’ve done something that made you realize that you’re at a good pace. Again, the walls are still closing in on you, and the world feels heavy upon your shoulders, but they–like the statue above–are crafting and individual who is resilient and will persevere. The end of your third year marks the beginning of your last year, worry and doubt still linger but you know how to deal with stress at this point. You’re graceful even in the most stressful times. 

Fall Quarter, Senior Year

You thought that by now you’d be able to deal with everything but it isn’t so. it’s your last year and you feel the pressure now more than ever. The world is again weighing down on you but in a different way: you had thought earlier that you were an adult but now you’re beginning to realize everything you took for granted. You still had many people looking out for you, people who you could go to for advice, and now others are coming to you for advice and you’re not even sure you’re doing it right. 

Winter Quarter, Senior Year 

You’re clinging onto those walls harder now. You’re in the middle of the last year of your college life. The stress is dwindling and “senioritis” is settling in. You’re starting to appreciate the predicable patterns of classes and breaks that have made up your life for the past four years. You start becoming melancholic, but instead you decide to invest your time trying to break down those walls weighing heavy on you. 

Spring Quarter, Senior Year

It’s finally here, the last quarter of perhaps the best four years of your life. At this point you either have everything figured out or decide to go with the flow and deal with it later. Like the statue, your world has been flipped upside down. You’re not sure you can handle the “real world” but it’s not really an option at this point. You look back at all you’ve overcome, all the late nights studying and working, and  realize that you are now finally at the finish line. Some part of you wishes those walls would fall and you won’t feel that pressure anymore, but they will remain, perhaps indefinitely. But you’ve been trained to deal with it, so remember to enjoy your last quarter and Zot on, ‘Eater!

[lifeonringroad]

Is UC Irvine hostile?

By Adriana Arceo

Photos by Adriana Arceo

UCI’s Ring Road surrounding Aldrich Park is a welcoming sight for students and visitors. It is seen by many as a feature that creates a sense of unity on campus— but don’t be fooled. A closer look reveals numerous examples of hostile architecture along Ring Road, which ultimately hinders the student experience.

Hostile architecture encompasses anything that makes it harder for people to enjoy a public space. It is designed to discourage people from loitering, skateboarding, sitting, or sleeping on a space owned by someone. Hostile architecture can also be anything that helps hide the structure of a building, making it harder for people to access a certain area. As student activity dies down towards the weekend, the presence of hostile architecture becomes increasingly noticeable around campus. Here are just a few examples.

Engineering Hall 

One classic example of hostile architecture can be found across Engineering Hall. There are six gray benches under trees that students can use as a resting place if needed. The most noticeable aspect of these benches is that there are separations to section off where people can sit. This characteristic is an easy way of spotting hostile architecture since it works towards discouraging people from lying down on the benches, therefore minimizing the time one would spend resting there. The design here could define the benches as a prickly space, because of the discomfort the sitting area presents.  It is clear that students are being forced to keep themselves moving based on the chosen design of the benches.

Student Center

The Student Center also demonstrates examples of hostile architecture like the benches near Engineering Hall. Here, students are faced once again with a prickly space since the sitting areas can be considered to be uncomfortable to sit on. Students notice the hostility in the structure of these sitting areas as well. “Who are they trying to stop from lying down? It’s just so inconvenient,” says Priscilla Gil, a third year at UCI. “Sometimes students get tired so having benches like this sucks... It’s like they’re trying to stop us from taking a break.”The design of these seats is meant to do just that, since students can not lie down comfortably as they await their next destination.

Langson Library

Langson Library is another demonstration of hostile architecture. Unlike the aforementioned, Langson Library would fall under the category of a stealthy space. A stealthy space can be any area that is surrounded by greenery, since it helps conceal the passageway to the entrance of a building. While many familiar with the building may simply go up the steps to the library, the structure gives off the impression that it is to remain hidden since it’s entrances are barely visible. A space such as this sends a message of hostility because it seems so uninviting.

It is impossible to walk around Ring Road without coming across a bench or building that discourages its use. The most important aspect of this ordeal is the message of hostility it sends to students and visitors.

Suddenly, it becomes clear why students are so eager to clear out on the weekends.

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Cooking Up Solutions to Food Insecurity

By Paola Granados

Photo by Chris Gramly via Getty Images 

Caramelizing onions created a sizzling symphony while the heat emitted from the pan awakened the spices and perfumed the air in the Student Center’s Emerald Bay conference room. Students sat attentively in rows, some with notebooks in hand, others in a focused trance while Natalie D’Azzo, the chef, tossed in another teaspoon of crimson colored powders. As the savory aroma of chili and curry spices captivated each student's olfactory system, the class of 40 realize the impact of spices on a dish.

“Smell that? It’ll taste really good,” said D’Azzo grinning as she took in a whiff herself. Many of the attendants would find it difficult to disagree, as they carried off samples of the garbanzo bean and kale curry home or to their next class. Besides just a free lunch, the students left with recipes, cooking utensils, and a few kitchen tidbits to help them approach their stoves with a little more confidence. “She doesn’t trust me with knives and stuff but now I can tell her I’m like basically certified,” said a first-year commuter who after attending the workshop became inspired enough to use her new knowledge to help her mother in the kitchen.

Besides being one of the only lectures that day with an almost guaranteed satisfaction, the afternoon cooking demonstration was one of the three new Smart Eaters Life Skills workshops designed to combat student hunger at UC Irvine. Developed from the collaborative efforts of the Student Wellness and Health Promotion Center and the Student Outreach and Retention Center(SOAR), the Smart Eaters Life Skills workshops were UCI’s response to the UC Office of the President’s (UCOP) Global Food Initiative launched in the summer of 2014. Since that year, significant advancements have been made to alleviate food insecurity in UC system including a 2015-2016 research study taken directly from UC campuses and $3.3 million dollars of approved funding for the continuation of the program.

Taking advantage of these new resources, the Student Wellness and Health Promotion and SOAR Center used the new funds and research to design a three workshop series that targeted the three main reasons college students feel food insecure. Eat Smart was the first of the workshops to be offered to students and provided students with basic nutrition education. After covering nutrition, the Spend Smart workshop shared financial wellness tips and helped students develop healthy budgeting habits. The last and, unsurprisingly, the most attended workshop was the Cook Smart workshop that demonstrated a completely healthy but adaptable plant-based recipe. Although the recipe primarily consisted of very basic and familiar ingredients, the emphasis lied on the spices. In response to the importance of learning to use spices and seasonings, D’Azzo, the workshop chef and Peer Education Programs Manager for

the Wellness Center, said, “When we cook at home and it’s bland, we don’t want to cook anymore and we just end of going out to eat but it’s always healthier to eat at home.” It’s a detail that makes all the difference in a dish and an even greater impact on the bigger issue of student food insecurity.

Much like how underestimated the ability to spice and season is in cooking, having at least basic cooking skills before students get to college is not as stressed as it once was. And while this may provide a reason for why some college students live off instant ramen and rely almost entirely on the microwave to cook their meals, the lack of emphasis on this life skill has become a clear culprit of the food insecurity issue among college students. According to the research released last year about food insecurity in the UC system, basic cooking/kitchen education was one of the resources that 48% of food insecure students said they would like to have been offered. Head informant on the Global Food Initiative at UCI and the Food Access and Security Coordinator at the SOAR center, Andrea Gutierrez said, “basic life skills used to be taught in high school before but have kind of dropped out of the curriculum.” Gutierrez emphasized that by refocusing on the development of essential life skills, students can take better advantage of the current food resources available on campus in the future.

[lifeonringroad]

The Best Places to Catch the Sunset/Sunrise at UCI

By Jose Servin

           A geography professor once told me that time travel was really easy. He said that the next time I watched the sunset, to lie as close to the ground as possible and watch the sun descend the horizon from that angle. As soon as it descends, he said, hop up to standing position and voila! You get to watch the sun go below the horizon a second time. He then went on to explain how light bends around the circular globe of the earth and some other geography jargon, but this lesson stuck with me, and it’s been proven to work on dates by, errr…friends. With that in mind, there’s no better place to exercise Einstein’s theory of relativity and attempt cheesy geography pickup lines than the University of California, Irvine campus. Here are the top six places on campus to catch the sunset/sunrise in no specific order.

The deck between Steinhaus Hall and The Schneiderman Lecture Hall

If you’re leaving Ayala Library after a long day of studying, this is the place to go. Directly in front of Ayala if you walk for about two minutes and with a perfect view, this deck provides the perfect vantage point for watching the sunset. If you’re an early riser and are on campus,  this place is better suited for the sunrise because of its view of Aldrich Park. The bench tables around this deck also make it a great place for outdoor studying or simply having a small picnic.

Pros: It’s outdoors, plenty of seating areas for studying or snacking

Cons: You’ll watch the sunset behind the behemoth buildings on campus that block the horizon, but it’ll still be amazing.

The sixth floor of Ayala Library

If you’d rather enjoy the sunset from the comfort of an air conditioned building full of books, Ayala is the place.

“It’s one of the highest buildings on campus and since I’m always here studying, I’ll sometimes take a break and look out the window to watch the sun go down,” Erwin Cruz, Urban Studies major and senior, said.

The sixth floor gives you a bird’s eye look on the campus and is just as nice during sunrise as it is during sunset. Catching the right angle could be an issue because only one side of the building looks out onto wide open space and, depending on the time of the year, could be facing opposite from the sunset.

Pros: Very high up, gorgeous view

Cons: Only faces on side of campus, often full of students.

The fifth floor of the Engineering Building

Avoid this place if you’re trying to get a good picture of the sunset/sunrise, because you’re not going to get it. The window wall enclosures surrounding the stairwell of this building provide a beautiful view of the campus, but the bars that hold them together get in the way no matter where you look. Regardless, the view of the sun setting from the fifth floor of this building is worth the climb. You can sit on the stairwell and take a breather.

Pros: Beautiful view, design of the building adds to the beauty of the view

Cons: Bad location for taking pictues. Also, it’s a stairwell.

Fifth Floor Natural Sciences Building I

The deck on the fifth floor of the Natural Science Building 1 is one of my favorites. Not only is it easy to get to, but it is also relatively empty most times I’ve gone. There are chairs available to sit and enjoy the view, and even a picnic table that, during my visit, was being used by students as a picnic area. The elevators in this building usually take very little time. The only downside is that your only view is towards campus, so this area is more of a sunrise location, though the sunset will be beautiful here too.

Pros: Easily accessible, not so much foot traffic, seating and table available

Cons: Only faces one side of campus.

Fifth Floor Natural Sciences Building 2

Natural Sciences Buildings I & II are adjacent to each other, and so if you have a big party half can watch the sunset from one building and half from the other. Or you can try and experiment with new forms of time travel. Whichever you choose, don’t forget to visit Natural Sciences II. The building is built like its from the future, looks impeccably clean, and has multiple decks on the fifth floor with amazing views of campus and the adjacent buildings solar panels. You can also catch the horizon of Irvine, in all its industrial glory, though that doesn’t matter when you’re watching the sun set.

Pros: Seating area, futuristic furniture, easily accessible

Cons: The horizon is covered by far off Irvine buildings.

UC Irvine Ecological Preserve

While technically not a part of the main UCI campus, it would be a disservice not to include the UCI Ecological Preserve. It has wide open views, greenery all around, and plenty of wildlife to explore. The rectangular pools of water available for migrating birds to rest reflect the sun’s rays at an amazing angle during sunset which makes for great pictures. During a weekday, it is very tranquil and quiet. Plenty of free parking is available for the 60 acre site, which hosts about 200 bird species and is one of the last wetlands areas in Orange County, according to the school of Biological sciences website.

Pros: Amazing views, great information on the local flora and fauna posted throughout the preserve, quiet.

Cons: It’s about a ten-minute walk from campus.

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Best Places to Nap on Campus

By Brandon Phan

Many people say “sleep is for the weak”, to which I say “that's nice.”

In fact studies everywhere show that sleep enhances performance. Luckily, UCI’s sleep-deprived college students have an array of choices for finding a few moments’ rest.

Here now, the best places to nap on campus.

Outside of The Pacific Ballroom 

An immediate go-to spot to check within the student center is the area directly outside the Pacific Ballroom. This location is filled with plenty soft cushion-y benches, or as I call them, astral navigators. The only downside to coming here is that it fills up quick and you often will be left to either find another place to nap or lie on the floor. If you’re able to find a spot, you’ll probably end up napping longer than the 10-20 minute time period that most doctors recommend.

A student taking off in an astral navigator

Langson Library

The Langson Library is a multi-floor building with many couches and chairs to sit on. Accompanied by complete silence, the library has become a staple for many students. During finals week, this place turns into a campsite since it stays open 24/7. Although most people come here to study, using it as a spot to rest suddenly transforms it into a place of tranquility. A napping facility. A temple of rejuvenation, if you will.

Aldrich Park

Students passing the time under the trees

Feel like unifying with the Earth? Then head on over to Aldrich Park, find the healthiest patch of grass and lie there. Aldrich Park is a great place to relax but you may not actually fall asleep if you plan to extend your stay. The surrounding environment may be full of students chatting, people playing sports, club meetings and so on. But sometimes this ambient noise paired with the occasional bird chirp and sunlight may be exactly what you need to relieve your stress from a long day.

Pro tip: While you may be tempted to walk around the park or have a light exercise before napping I would highly recommend not to. According to the National Sleep Foundation, exercising right before sleeping or napping actually makes it harder to do so.

Student’s Choice: Between the ICS and Engineering towers

Damian, who agreed to joyously pose for a super candid pic

Damian, a 2nd year student, says that right between the ICS and Engineering towers is a little safe haven that goes unrecognized. The space between the two towers just received an installment of couches that make the area a “must try.”

The spot between the ICS and Engineering towers

“I napped there right after my stats midterm because I just wanted to fall asleep” Damian recalled.

After hearing the good word, I decided I had to pay the area a visit. Once there, I saw that most students were either doing work off of their laptops or talking on the phone. But I was about to change the game.

I sat on one of the couches, waiting for myself to sink into a state of relaxation. After two minutes I laid my head back and looked up at the sky. It was about 12:40 at the time so there weren’t many students passing by to head to their next class. It was an outdoorsy peace that I had never tapped into. I closed my eyes and let my mind drift off, listening in to the soft tapping of keyboards and casual sniffles. After a while I began to hear students exit their classroom doors and trail their ways to their next destinations. At this point I stopped napping and got up to stretch.

I felt replenished.

Honorable Mentions:

Anteater Pub after a few beers

Head to where the flagpoles on campus are. Go past the cross walk. Wait for the shuttle. Get on it. Go home and nap there.

[lifeonringroad]

Anteater Quidditch Makes History

There was a stoppage of play as Anteater Quidditch faced the Northern Arizona University Narwhals.  The score was 90 to 80 in favor of the Anteaters, and the game had been going for twenty-four minutes.  UCI had barely edged into the lead.

Both teams were putting intense pressure on the other team’s seekers, whose objective is to catch a small golden ball hanging behind an impartial player (the “snitch”) and end the game.  As soon as the referees sorted themselves out and resumed play, Anteater Quidditch player Austin Sharp grabbed the snitch. 

Sharp, who is typically one of AQ’s keepers, had insisted on seeking for the game.  AQ had already gone through two seekers in an attempt to grab the snitch, including their best seeker, Phillip Arroyo-Long, who was badly injured just minutes before.  

Sharp, who has been on the team since close to its inception in 2013, had long stated his desire to go to nationals with his team, and had always thought that it was impossible to do.  Now, though, the snitch was in his hands, and Sharp remained incredulous even after the referees confirmed the catch.  

There was an explosion of cheer from everyone in the audience.  Members of multiple teams rushed the field to celebrate, including people from such high ranking teams as the Lost Boys Quidditch Club, the Los Angeles Gambits, and the Long Beach Funky Quaffles.  Each team had been on the sideline, cheering and shouting praise for AQ, admiring how far the team had come up to this point.  Sharp was lifted high into the air by a crowd of maybe a hundred people that had rushed the field.

This win secured Anteater Quidditch’s place in the United States Quidditch National Tournament taking place in Kissimmee, Florida in early April.  They received the very last bid to Nationals after being knocked out of both the Primary and Secondary brackets of the tournament.

Now, they have to get serious.  Not only have practices been stepped up in intensity, but having enough money to pay for flights to Florida has become a problem. On the 28th of February, fresh off of the tournament win, the team hosted a fundraiser at Chipotle where they would be entitled to 50% of a sale if a customer presented an AQ flyer. Though they were not allowed to hand them out in University Town Center, chaser and club treasurer Anthony Shen, beater Jonwei Hwang, team captain Joseph Robles, and keeper/game-winner Austin Sharp, were handing out flyers on Ring Road.  They were having mild success, but many of the people passing didn’t seem too interested in eating at Chipotle that night.

The fundraiser was an “okay” success, in the words of AQ Treasurer Anthony Shen.  It attracted a good number of Quidditch player from other teams, with many players on the Funky Quaffles and a couple from the Gambits making appearances and buying burritos.  The money raised went towards helping pay for flights of those who couldn’t afford them.

AQ now more than ever needs peoples’ support. They are receiving a remarkable amount of support from other Quidditch teams and circles, but many of the players still had to pay for their flights themselves.  Going to nationals was a faraway dream for many in Anteater Quidditch, especially those who have been on the team since its inception, as the team hasn’t seen a great deal of success up until this year.  

Last year, they only won one tournament game in their entire season, but now they’ve qualified for the national championships. Anteater Quidditch has become the quintessential Quidditch underdog story, and they are all incredibly excited to show the nation what they can do this upcoming April.  

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Taking Care of Your Private Business in UCI’s Student Center

By Jason Lu

For those who suffer from university (or public place) bathroom anxiety (I count myself among them), the daily “business” is a strange and unusual ritual that starts with pleasure and then somehow devolves into fear, then anxiety, and finally shame. The gut wrenching and nerve tingling need to finish one’s personal “business” especially before someone else uses this public bathroom, the obsession with one’s shoes being noticed or worse, recognized; the realistic and irrational fear that our fellow UCI students will giggle and whisper or worse, laugh.

Thus, older students such as myself, have come up with a solution to bathroom anxiety and it starts with this.

Asking UCI students what makes a location most optimal for handling your business throughout the day is; one student said, “The location needs to be clean and private.”

The first floor of the Student Center Terrace simply does not work. It’s too common because everyone rushes to the first floor. This is the area that MOST UCI students will likely come to, but usually not for “business” purposes but just for casual use: washing hands, checking hair, blowing nose, etc. Thus the first floor is the most public area which most students tend to avoid when soiling.

HOWEVER, one key thing that most students do know is how to combat this not so “predictable content.” UCI students know that, in the Student Center Terrace, there’s a wide array and levels of publicity meaning the higher the level (or lower the accessibility), the fewer amount of people go. Therefore since the 4th floor of the Student Center Terrace is the highest level and the hardest to access (especially waiting for the elevator to climb when you’re in a rush!).

When you stumble into the 4th floor, you find yourself in a pleasant arena where you rarely see anyone being able to see you handle yourself. This floor, almost always vacant. We all have our own tricks to avoid having to “do business” at UCI and being familiar with the campus is one of them.

Any other location feels as if we’re steeped in shame and fear that the world will know that behind our beautiful student exteriors and UCI hipster outfits, makeup and extremely calculated characters, we are foul and gross (because private). Especially now-a-days, we can estimate the timing of a tweet or the optimal time for Instagram posts, the wording of an email to a professor to get help in a class that you’ve never attended but why can’t we know when our body releases predictable content?

Other friends and students have admitted to using the restrooms on the other floors, running to the least desirable, packed Starbucks by the book store or even fleeing the restroom if someone walks in and holding back the loud sound of your grotesque excretions until they leave. Many will plant themselves on that urinal, drenched in sweat, unable to relieve themselves until they know no one is around.

But here, the 4th floor student center, is UCI’s sanctuary for handling your business. When students spot that awe-inspiring “Restroom” sign, they already go from “100 to 0″ and feel a moment of safety and content comfortably walking up and into your destination.

You open the door and walk inside, noticing the pleasant aroma of the University, unsoiled with any other unpleasant smells.

You finally turn the corner and you’re home free. Here in the 4th floor student center terrace, you’re able to peacefully and comfortably conduct your business. No fear, no shame, no anxiety. Just you and yourself taking the university benefits and using tuition to its fullest extent.

Until the unexpected turns you right back to shame...

#freethestool

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UCI’s Rewind in Time

By Chantal Gonzalez

Photo by Chantal Gonzalez

Just beyond Winfred Smith Hall in UCI’s Claire Trevor School of Arts sits the Arts Media Center library, found on the second floor of the Arts Instruction and Technology Resource Center, a gray, two-story building with a mysterious, obscure, “Where does this lead to?” stairway surrounded by walls colored the shade of royal blue that can be seen in Renaissance paintings.

One step inside the library, past the yellowing security monitors, can transport you back in time into the early 90s. You can almost expect Bob Ross to be sitting behind the front desk in blue jeans and a white t-shirt from behind the weathered countertops and wooden décor.

But instead, who you see is Kayla Johnson sitting at the front desk, greeting arts students as they walk in, breathless from their walk up the stairway. Johnson has been working at the library for the last four years, and has seen students come in and ask the same question repeatedly, with confused expressions, “What is this place?”

And what this place is, is an area that was established in 1992 designated for arts students to access the available technological resources and the staggering collection of vinyl, CDs and DVDs. Audio recorders, cameras, video cameras, a VHS player, and even a phonograph sit in the library readily available for arts students to access for whatever projects they need them for. There’s a printer too, that’s more popular among the arts students because it offers free printing (it’s literally one of the main reasons there’s ever traffic in the library).

But the library has other certain charms to it other than the free printing, like the vinyl and CD collection, available to any UCI student. And if you’re a wannabe hipster who likes playing vinyl on your Crosley player or someone who just really loves music, this is the place for you.

Photo by Chantal Gonzalez

You can find the vinyl collection in the room at the far back at the library in dusty bookshelves that sit close to the ceiling. Most of the students who sit back there to study ignore the vinyl, but to others, like Mira Rice, gasp, that “It’s a music library!” that may leave some in complete awe and wonder.

Some note-worthy vinyl in the library sit at the far-left wall, and they are what Johnson believes is Ross Whitney’s (the director of the library) personal vinyl collection. Among the vinyl sit albums like The Cure’s 1992 Wish, The B-52’s 1979 The B-52s, and Mozart’s London Symphony Orchestra. These albums are not the student’s disposal, unfortunately, but there are other rows and rows of vinyl to choose from that are available to students. Students can also play vinyl in the library on one of the several Numark turntables, as Ladelyn Boonlua discovered, as she pointed at the turn table with excitement and asked, “Can I use that?”  

Photo by Chantal Gonzalez

Other charms to the library include things like the piano that sits in the practice room, the Japanese art hanging on the walls in the hallway, and the Beatles poster that hangs above a computer in the MAC lab.

The library is easily an area where any student can study, flip through vinyl, strike a key on the piano, or just enjoy an atmosphere that throws you back to a nostalgic time where sickeningly pastel colors and the Backstreet Boys were a thing on their spare time.

But what keeps the library’s 90s charm alive is mostly, if not all, reflective of the unsurprising lack of arts funding at UCI. For example, only most recently has the printer that all the students love been replaced with a touch-screen features since the library was first built. Of course, it would be nice if the library wasn’t so outdated and instead looked like the rest of the buildings on campus: shiny, bright and (somewhat) new, with better equipment and more recognition from the students other than the free printing, but we shouldn’t let all that cool stuff keep us from going to the library in the first place.

So, if you’re ever looking for a place to get away from the bustle of Ring Road where clubs try to tempt you with things like $2 boba, visit the Arts Media Center, check out one of the many albums like The Beatles’ 1967 Magical Mystery Tour for a bittersweet rewind in time where the music and people were funkier than they are now.

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5 Types of People Found in Starbucks

 By Kaitlin Hurtado

Image by Victor Ko 

If you want to witness a true college experience at UCI – a long line winding through the store’s lobby, students table-hopping in order to become closer to an electrical outlet, getting shoved around by those in search of their dose of caffeine, then look no further than the Starbucks of UCI’s student center. The store’s location makes it a hub for anteaters and visitors, making a trip to the store during any daylight hour leaving you questioning and/or confirming your dedication toward a cup of caffeine.  

1.      Student tour groups

You see them walking on Ring Road during the daylight hours, a group of young children and/or teenagers being led through the main road by a backwards-walking individual.

Once the campus tour itself is over, however, its participants flock to the student center’s many dining locations, Starbucks included. If you find yourself in Starbucks on a weekday between the hours of 12 and 2 p.m., you can expect to find an out-the-door line consisting of exasperated college students and loud middle-schoolers. Between the sound of baristas yelling out completed drink orders and the student behind you complaining about the curve of his midterm, there will be the ever-chirpy voice of young teens yelling the latest internet meme with no hesitance ringing into your ears.

2.      The regulars

Otherwise known as UCI students and staff that make their way through the doors of Starbucks and remain 100% unfazed by however long the line is that hour. They know exactly how much caffeine they need and how they want it, wasting no time when it comes to rattling off their order at the register.

They continue to remain unfazed as they stand off to the side, make their way through the crowd of middle-schoolers at the hand-off counter to grab their cup of caffeine and out the door to their next destination.

3.      The lobby dwellers

The dwellers of Starbucks can be regulars or complainers, or a mix of both. They come to Starbucks for a variety of reasons: the drinks, the food, shelter from the weather, or the wall outlets.

Ellis Diaz, a second-year English major, has been frequenting the Starbucks location since her freshman year due to spending long hours on campus as a commuter. “It’s a good study space to get word done and there is food available for long homework days,” she continued, “I like having noise to study with, and most study spaces [on campus] pressure you to be quiet.”

Diaz is one of many students that frequent Starbucks as a study space – it is nowhere near as quiet as Langson Library, but it does make caffeine steps away during study sessions.

4.      The “are they really ordering that?” customer

These are the types of Starbucks-goers that scour the internet for the latest concoction added to the secret menu. You stand one or two people away from the register, silently patting yourself on the back for surviving the line’s length up until that point, only for the register to be held up by a customer firing off the ingredients and steps of their drink to an unsuspecting barista.

Posts of these hidden drinks, such as the Matcha Pink Drink, come with warnings of any barista hating you after ordering the complex drinks, but more often than not, the people behind you in line will hate you more for standing between them and caffeine.

(Note to readers: This drink is not worth the extra charges of matcha and coconut milk – strawberry acai, matcha, and coconut milk were not meant to be in the same cup).

5.      The complainer

Caffeine and tired, stressed college students go hand-in-hand, which is why those that aren’t used to the out-the-door lines typical to Starbucks take every chance to complain. With one step into the store and one look at the winding line, complaints about how the line’s length and how capitalism is a sham stream out of complainers’ mouths.

These complainers are the stand-out, as they complain at every point of the store – the line, the hand-off counter, and the internet. These complainers, among many other customers, help the Starbucks location boast a 2-and-a-half stars rating on Yelp.

Yelp user Jay C. left a two-star rating for the campus spot, writing in her review, “I pay my overpriced coffee, factor in an extra 5-10 minutes if it’s a milky drink and not regular coffee because they will definitely mess it up, and run out as soon as my precious Starbucks is in hand. Feels kind of like what I imagine Cuba would be like. And of course, the good part is I don’t have to leave school to get coffee.” If you too would like to visit Cuba and get some caffeine without leaving campus, try paying Starbucks a visit.

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#UCI #starbucks

[lifeonringroad]

The Anthill Tavern

by Brayan Arriaza

Photo by Brayan Arriaza

It’s easy to overlook the dimly lit tavern in the corner of the UCI Student Center where students congregate day and night to catch a drink and scarf down some stoner tots. The music chimes from jazz to electronic beats and everything in between. The charming décor resembles a dorm room designed by someone that is really obsessed with UCI and California brewing companies. The warmth from the red and yellow hanging lights substitute for the lack of any harsh liquor, mostly beers and some wine are served.

The majority of the students at the pub are regulars; most students come in for a visit 2-3 times a week. “If you’re here too much that’s bad” said Jawaher Karram a student, who has her friends giggling at her response. The group of 3 sat with note books and laptops open, and an empty tray in the middle from the steak burrito Jawaher just finished, “That pico de gallo though!” she says as she reaches for her sweet raspberry cider. The girls find their way back to the pub to “Do some homework. Chill out. And socialize bit.”

Photo by Brayan Arriaza

This is the second iteration of the pub, says Casey Deaver, a bartender that has been working at the pub for 5 years. It used to be located within the student center and was moved in 2007 after the center was remodeled. He says the lively environment and easy-going students have kept him around. His favorite beer is the Windows Up, which is an IPA made by a brewing company called Alpine but “If you like ales though, everyone gets the Red Trolley. Personally I like the Calico Amber by Ballast.”

Photo by Brayan Arriaza

There is a chalk board in the men’s restaurant with barely legible scribbles of existential thoughts and political comments, the volume of the voices matches that of the music. Photographs of campus events and student art fill the walls, with a cork board of posters of upcoming events on the way to the restroom. Signs for the weekly Tuesday trivia night are hung  up, “Haha yeah, trivia night is really hard” says Dayziah Nichols. She recalls her struggle, but also remembers having fun at a karaoke night that was hosted at the pub, the event brought in a big crowd. Sporting events also draw in big crowds, says Jeremy Rhoan, who goes by the nickname River. He spreads his arms out trying to blanket the half of the room closest to the TV, showing how much space was taken up, “There was a soccer game here the other day and everyone was super into it,” he said.

By far everyone’s favorite snack at the pub were the stoner tots, which are crispy golden brown seasoned tots that are topped off with guacamole, sour cream, and your choice of meat. Barry Siegel, a professor on campus, who pointed out that he’s not regular at the pub, said he was unfamiliar with stoner tots as he read his newspaper and munched on a salad he brought over for lunch from the salad bar next door. There was no beer on his table, not while he’s working, instead his bottled water sat at his table, “I don’t really like the fast food environment,” he said in regards to why he was eating his salad at the pub. Sometimes he’ll humor students and join them for a drink “once finals are all over.”

The whole mood of the pub salvages it from the stereotypes associated with college students and alcohol, keeping people coming. The staff is friendly and attentive, and they are always willing to recommend beers or something off the menu. The pub is almost like a coffee shop disguised as a bar, but instead of a coffee and hipsters you find students with textbooks and pitchers.

[lifeonringroad]

Hungry for a Purpose on Ring Road

By Lynslee Mercado

Photo by Lynslee Mercado

UCI Students enjoy the moist mini cakes, specialty hummus and assorted other delicacies that commercial vendors bring to Ring Road. But there’s a whole selection of foods -- some of them homemade --  that are sold by nonprofit organizations to support philanthropy.

This is your guide to eating for a cause on UCI’s Ring Road.

1. CampMed’s Coconut Drink

Photo by Lynslee Mercado

CampMed, a nonprofit devoted to exposing students to the medical profession, sells a range of Asian style foods ranging from coconut beverages to Korean barbeque to Spam Musubi. On this Tuesday afternoon, refreshing coconut beverages are on sale at CampMed’s booth located near Starbucks on Ring Road. Showcasing a sign that reads “$3 for 1 or $5 for 2,” I witness a couple of people come and purchase a coconut drink. The CampMed team swiftly cuts open the top of a coconut, places a straw through the opening, and politely hands the drink to the customer. Krystal Del Castillo, the director of the program reveals that the money from these coconut drinks move towards something greater. This camp gives high school students from low socioeconomic backgrounds the chance to be CPR certified, to attend workshops about suturing, lobotomy, ultrasound, while exposing them to real life healthcare professionals in the field. “We try to inspire them to pursue higher education and the healthcare field,” says Castillo proudly before helping another customer.

2. Lambda Phi Nu’s Pad Thai

Photo by Lynslee Mercado

Right across from CampMed’s booth is a yet another delicious item being sold. Pad Thai is a stir fried noodle dish with hints of ginger, peanut and spice creating a flavor unlike the typical stir fry. The main star of this dish is it’s Thai chili sauce, a well rounded sauce that can provide an intense spicy kick. Lambda Phi Nu’s booth is run by the shy but motivated pledge class of the fraternity, and sells a bowl of Pad Thai and a drink for $5. As one of the 3 business fraternities at UCI, Richard Perez, a member of Lambda Phi Nu, states that it’s their focus on business leadership what separates them from the others. “We really emphasize business leadership, so we bring on people who we think are going to be leaders on campus,” says Perez. Their fraternity believes that by fundraising, new pledges can better understand the role of selling, managing, and taking account of specific funds. The proceeds from their fundraisers also go towards Lambda Phi Nu’s business leadership events, which promote the growth of the pledge class in the business world.

3. Camp Kesem & Hubert’s Lemonade

Photo by Lynslee Mercado

For a classic thirst quencher, look no further than Camp Kesem’s sale of Hubert’s Lemonade. As a national nonprofit organization, with chapters nationwide Camp Kesem strives to support and work with kids whose parents have been affected by cancer. Running the booth are UCI undergraduates with a purpose to try and help as many kids as possible by sending them to this recreational camp. Kofi Bonsu, a member of Camp Kesem reveals his goals for the upcoming year; “So we are trying to send 60 kids to camp, so that is $60,000 dollars which means a lot of fundraising.” Thankfully, Hubert’s Lemonade is able to donate their beverages from time to time meaning more refreshing drinks for fellow UCI students, and more potential for children to be helped by Camp Kesem.

4. Nu Alpha Kappa’s “NAKo’s Tacos”

Photo by Lynslee Mercado

Nu Alpha Kappa makes its mark on Ring Road by being a consistent seller of their infamous NAKo’s tacos, an acronym word play on the abbreviations of their fraternity. You can find this group out on Ring Road with their freshly chopped toppings and delicious marinated meat, cooked fresh in front of your eyes. For only $1.50, you can purchase a classic Carne Asada or Al Pastor taco. Upgrade to a combo for $5.50 and you can get 2 tacos, beans, rice and a drink! But there is more to this booth than delicious mexican fare; Nu Alpha Kappa fundraisers focus on three main pillars: education, culture and brotherhood. Though a mostly Latino based fraternity, they are open to more diverse backgrounds with a goal of striving towards higher education. With proceeds going their two main events “College is Real” and “NAKland,” brothers of this fraternity make it a priority to encourage higher education as well as creating lasting memories for children through their carnivals and events. Cristian Galindo, a member of Nu Alpha Kappa, emphasizes that they make an effort to educate to parents about sending their children to college. If you have a firm belief in the importance of higher education, NAKo’s Tacos seems to be the right booth to support...or if you just enjoy delicious tacos.

5. Alpha Tau Delta & Costco Pizza

Photo by Lynslee Mercado

For a classic, inexpensive delicacy, you might turn to Alpha Tau Delta’s booth selling Costco pizza for $2 a slice. Alpha Tau Delta is a for nurses and by nurses fraternity with their mission statement being “We are united in health.”  Ashley Oshea, a member of the fraternity, explains that the money from fundraising goes towards their medical mission trips, the most recent one being to Vietnam. Every year, Alpha Tau Delta goes to underprivileged areas in the world and provide assistance through their services, which is made possible through their education here in America. “We’ll go to hospitals or we’ll go to parts of the country where there isn’t any sort of healthcare, and we’ll be able to provide basic services like taking their vital signs, give medication and do assessments.” Who knew that reaching for that slice of pizza could help save lives.

6. Red Cross Club’s Korean Barbecue Tacos

Photo by Lynslee Mercado

The want for tacos is thoroughly satisfied here on Ring Road. Offering a Mexican-Korean fusion of flavors, the Red Cross Club sells KBBQ tacos to fundraise for volunteer and community service events. Contrary to popular belief, the Red Cross Club is not about blood donations or centered around biology majors. Brandon Casas, a member of the club states, “We want members to grow and have fun and to really feel apart of the club...we try to give back as much as possible.” And give back they do. The Red Cross Club plans beach clean ups, dog walking services for retired greyhounds, Thanksgiving dinners for the homeless and clothing drives for people trying to get back into the workforce. By buying this fusion food, you’re ultimately helping give back to the community as well.

[lifeonringroad]

Benched at UCI: 6 Facts About the Aldrich Park Benches

By Iris Ruvalcaba

Photo by Iris Ruvalcaba

It costs a mere $5,000 to get a plaque of your choice on a bench in the heart of the UCI campus.

And this fact is just one of many in the little-known story of the 15 benches sprinkled across Aldrich Park, the 19-acre botanical garden contained by Ring Road.

1. They’re Not Just for the Lifeless

If you’ve ever taken the time to read some of the plaques on the benches, you’d notice that while some are dedicated to people who have passed away, others are actually honoring people who are in fact, still alive.

Some honoraria plaques honor people such as professors or staff members who had some type of influence or served some time at UCI. Memorial plaques usually memorialize people such as Michael Robert Belko, who served as an ASUCI at-large Representative; John Rosendahl, who “made physics an adventure for students of all ages”’ and Syed Kabeer Bahadur, who was lauded on the plaque as the “Dopest Fool” the buyer of the plaque had ever seen.

2. The Process Is Not Too Difficult (Not Cheap Either)

Acquiring plaques on a bench requires time more than anything else. Nancy Locke, Donor Relations Office Manager, who is the person in charge of this bench program said the first step in acquiring one of these benches involves filling out a pledge form and giving $5,000 to make it happen.

Locke said this cost has been the same for quite some time but could increase in the future. Once the money is all set, the buyer(s) along with Locke and the UCI Planning Committee will walk along Aldrich park to determine what locations are available to place a bench. Location availability all depends on safety requirements and could require altering environmental elements as a precaution. Once a safe location is determined, the plaque and bench are made to order and are soon installed.

3. Specially Designed for Your Back

These benches are not only custom made to order with varying messages on the plaques, they are also specially designed by an orthopedic doctor. That’s right! This program actually invests in making sure the benches are helping your posture!

The benches in the park are also special because they’re made of plastic, whereas those in other parts of UCI are made from wood. This is purposely done to minimize the maintenance required from possible weathering issues.

4. Different Plaque Sizes Explained

If you have a keen eye for detail, you may have noticed most of the plaques vary in size. This is because the program used to give buyers free range as to how big they wanted it. That was until too many metal clamps were needed on the back of the benches to carry the weight of the plaques, which wasn’t aesthetically pleasing at all.

Around 2003, the Architecture Committee at UCI came together and decided it was time to create a standard plaque size (4x6 in). This means the older plaques are the bigger ones and the newer ones are uniform and smaller in size although some can still be widened to fit all the wording.

5. How Many Are There?

UCI has 50 plaque-bearing benches, with Aldrich Park housing 15 of those benches. The other 35 are scattered all around the university. If you want to keep track of them all, you can just look out for a number labeled on one of the benches legs!

6. Bench Facing China

The weirdest request made pertaining to a bench was that the bench had to face China, according to Nancy Locke. She said mapping it out made it difficult but that she was thankful China is a large country as otherwise it would have been harder to accommodate.

The request was made so long ago that Locke would have to search many files to pinpoint the bench. Can you figure out which bench faces China?

Bonus Fact: Nesting Aldrich

On top of the 15 plaques within the large botanical garden that we call Aldrich Park, there is an additional plaque located in the center of it all.

This plaque is dedicated to the founding chancellor himself, Daniel G. Aldrich, and is mounted within a smaller garden called the Aldrich Rock Garden. That’s right! UCI is essentially a nest of gardens around Aldrich himself.

[lifeonringroad]

Let’s talk about God

By Altair Pérez Caesar

Moses Hsien and his two mates are yelling in their booth in the middle of Ring Road, between the Cross Cultural Center and the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at UC Irvine.  

They are offering free chocolate and in the background they have a poster with a series of seemingly anti-Christian messages designed to call attention, including one of them that says, “God hates you.”  

They are Asian American Christian Fellowship at UCI (AACF,) an organization that “reaches into the university and collegiate community, primarily to those who are Asian Pacific Americans, with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ,” according to their description in the register of Campus Organizations.

“We are not just Asian,” points out one of them. Their goal is to have conversations with random people who are walking to their classes in the most crowded are of the campus. They shout: “Let’s talk about God!,” or “Free chocolate, come talk about Christianity,” or “God bless you.” Indeed, they come every Wednesday from 12 to 3 pm to their blue booth and start to attract people’s attention. Yet they say that they are not doing proselytism but only trying to spread God’s word.  

Image courtesy of  aacfuci

Nevertheless, it doesn’t seem like many people dare to approach them.

“Sometimes they come up, take the chocolate and… nothing,” Moises tells me, laughing with resignation. Asked several times about their achievements and objectives, he laughs and insists that they just want to talk and make people think about religion. They talk to anybody who approaches them, no matter their religion, gender, race or sexual orientation. “It’s not about a religion, but about our relationship with God.”

Hsien was there when AACF decided to start boothing in Ring Road last quarter. According to him, they started because they wanted to do “picketing positively.” They started because they wanted to “reach out people” and get to a wider audience. Nevertheless, what made them decide to start this was a picketing that some “conservative” and Christian people from other university did at the UCI. This group came to organize a revolt and they hung posters that incited LGBT hatred such as poster that said “God hates gay people.” Hsien and the folks from AACF were scandalized by that form of expression of Christianity and decided to use their own methods. They wanted to counteract a bad image of Christianity represented by the more strident groups.

In spite of their friendly approach, however, they remain traditionalists. For example, Hsien says about LGBT community: “We don’t hate them. We just disapprove what they do […] We and God love them anyway.”

Because of their ideology, AACF still receives the rejection of some groups but the people who approached them and Ring Road were “respectful” and sometimes gave rise to interesting conversations. Hsien recall this “passionate guy about atheism” with which he had a long conversation and with who he could have a cordial relationship. That’s what they love the most, to get to talk with people with very different beliefs and get to talk to them. Every week they get to have people of those, they say, and they think they are achieving their goal with their boothing.

AACF also has a good relationship with other religious associations. “We had contact with people from other Abrahamic religion associations.” Nevertheless, none of the other religions seem to get to 5 associations, in contrast to the 47 that the Christian community has on campus, according to the official register.

Rather than freedom of expression or religion, what UCI community in general seemed to reject and actively fight against groups that support hate speech. In June 2016, students protested because Milos Yiannopoulos, the controversial ultra-conservative speaker, was visiting the school. The Republicans at UCI organized the events, and they were subsequently suspended for trying to organize another speech after all the protests with Yiannopoulos (later, the suspension was dropped); and in January several marches against Trump’s immigration policy took place. Whatever is the ideology, believers such as Hsien and his mates have their own way to spread the word of Christ along Ring Road and give space to self-criticism and fraternity with the other religious communities.

#ringroad UCI religion

[lifeonringroad]

Behind the Little Blue Booth: Dear Immigrant Student

By Jocelyn Contreras

Ring Road’s booths were shaded by tents as students bolted by, but the Soar Center’s little blue booth was shaded by the medium-sized trees in front of the Langson Library where you can see how the bridge connects the university to the outside world, or in this case the University Town Center. 

(By Jocelyn Contreras)

Carol Rocha passed out turquoise flyers with March 6th’s week on it as she asked passing students, “Would you like to come to this week’s Immigration Awareness Week to Stand in Solidarity?”

Students didn’t take the flyers or some just ignored the fourth-year Social Ecology major, but mostly every student that passed the little blue booth looked at a sculpture of the word “Home” along with the quote “Our home is built with Love and Dreams” placed on top of the table.

(By Jocelyn Contreras)

In addition to this sculpture, there was a flyer with the most intense image of a hand reaching for a butterfly as the lower half of the wrist is burning in flames with the word S.A.F.I.R.E. in block letters on bottom.  

Diana Soto, co-chair of Students Advocating for Immigrant Rights and Equity (S.A.F.I.R.E.) and a second-year Psychology and Social Behavior student, worked behind the scenes of the little blue booth. She worked in collaboration with other campus organizations like Higher Opportunities through Peer Empowerment (H.O.P.E 4 Us), the Soar Center, Undocumented Student Support Programs, Student Services, and many of the school’s departments for the Immigration Awareness Week events.

Diana stood in front of a thirty-something crowd in the Dr. White Room of the Cross Cultural Center for one of the events: “Dear Immigrant Student.” UCI faculty read supportive letters to the students “to [let them] know that faculty and staff support them” said Diana. The second co-chair of S.A.F.I.R.E., Nidia Bello, said, “The idea of this event came from the fact that students are the ones who usually tell their stories and we put ourselves out there and, you know, it’s a lot of emotional labor and mental labor. So, we thought that this time, we can switch it around and have the faculty say how will they help and support us.”

“Help and Support Us”

Professors, many from the department of Chicano/a, Latino/a Studies, sat in the crowd with the students where food and drinks were served. Several professors went up and presented their letters to the crowd. Demonstrating their support for the undocumented students, applause and tears rose from many of the students and professors. Laura Enriquez, assistant professor of Chicano/a, Latino/a studies, introduced herself and began to cry as she shared her experience to the students. One of the students in the front row did not hide her tears and stared at Ms. Enriquez, nodding her head with every line with the understanding that “we don’t want to build a wall, we want to build a bridge.”  

The letters recited were also posted around the white walls like a gallery walk where students read many, many letters from more than 30 faculty members. A handful of professors read their letters, but the posted letters were also from those who were unable to make it and still wrote their appreciation and love for these students. The crowd took their time around each letter with yellow post-it notes in hand to place a note next to a letter that resonated with them. A bunch of post-it notes were placed next to mostly all the letters, but there was one letter, at the back of the room, with only one post-it next to it. Written in black ink were two simple, yet vulnerable words: “Thank You.”  

“Thank You”

Nidia wanted this event to be a personal experience that brought staff and students closer together, breaking the professional barrier, and building a compassionate, empathetic bridge from human to human.

Why is this conversation important?

Diana, “I think it is important to talk about because these are real issues that are affecting real human beings and it affects our lives a lot.” Nidia sighed and said, “People are getting deported, families are being separated and in terms of students, people should be caring about these students. Our community is being separated. This affects our well-being: mentally, physically, and academically. It should be them helping us take off this weight from our shoulders.” She placed her hands over her shoulders to show that this problem, piled with years of discrimination, separation and fear, is too much to carry and adds, “We are full-time students, sometimes we work, and yet we are still out there doing things like informing others and such. A lot of the times, I’m pretty sure you will find at least one undocumented student in your class.”

#uci #dearimmigrant #student #we #appreciation #love #you #build a bridge #not a wall #students #professor #letter #ring road

[lifeonringroad]

[lifeonringroad]

7 Things You Didn’t Know About UCI’s Anteater Quidditch

By David Roman

Photo Courtesy of Antereater Quidditch Facebook

Beyond the taco stands and the student organizations hocking boba and spam mushubi, nestled on Ring Road somewhere between the Student Support Services II building and the Cross Cultural Center are a group of little known student athletes selling PVC pipes. While relatively unknown around campus the UC Irvine Quidditch team has been making waves around the local Harry Potter fandom and just like Voldemort’s seven horcruxes, the series’ seven books and the seven years witches and wizards spend at Hogwarts here are seven facts you probably didn’t know about UCI’s Anteater Quidditch team.

1)    The team was started in 2013 by James Luby

Originating in the Fall quarter of 2013 Anteater Quidditch began as a rag tag group of Harry Potter fans who knew about the sport’s emerging popularity and wanted to get it started here on campus. The first team coach James Luby, a UCLA graduate started the UCI branch after student and recreational Quidditch player Francis Juliano contacted him asking for help in getting the team going.

2)    Anteater Quidditch is NOT Dumbledore’s Anteaters!

Despite sharing a fandom and sharing more than a few members, Anteater Quidditch would prefer it if they weren’t referred to as “the Harry Potter club” especially since there already is a Harry Potter club at UCI. Dumbledore’s Anteaters (a clever play on Dumbledore’s Army from the series) was founded in 2009 by Caitlin McEvoy, this student org places Anteaters in houses just like in the books, elects heads to these houses and hosts social events. And despite there being some overlap with members they are definitely not the same group. One is a sport, the other is a club.

3)    They don’t actually fly on brooms.

Okay so this one might seem like a big “DUH” but besides not actually flying in the air the Quidditch team doesn’t even use brooms. The bristles are too problematic to have been worked into the sport, the wooden handles are too heavy and can cause injury and the plastic handles are too light weight so in the spirit or fairness the sport uses PVC pipes which are both light weight, inexpensive, not too long and easy to decorate. Students and armature Quidditch players can buy one of these fancy muggle brooms for $1 on ring road along with buttons and T-shirts which sell for $15.

4)    The rules are fairly similar to the book version.

Besides the lack of flaying and brooms… and magic, the rest of the rules are fairly similar to the book series. There’s three goal posts and either end of the field and a person designated to be the “snitch” runs around with a gold flag. The teams consist of a seeker who tries to catch the golden flag to end the game and earn a huge point bonus, three chasers who attempt to scare a “quaffle” or the ball into the hoop posts, the keeper who defends the goal posts and two bludgers who tackle chasers and provide defense for the seeker, a common target of opposing bludgers.

5)    They just competed in their first official competition.

Anteater Quidditch just participated in their first official tournament the first weekend of November. The team traveled to Flagstaff, Arizona to participate in Northern Arizona University’s annual tournament which serves as a warm up for the coming spring season. Despite losing their first game team seeker Phillip Arroyo Long went on to catch four snitches proving the Anteaters are a team to look out for in coming tournaments.

6)    The team is going through a big change in line up this year

According to Anteater Quidditch player Miguel Villa, “The United States Quidditch Association issued a community/university split. Basically it means if you identify as a university team, all your team members must be students.” Basically it means all the members on the team who weren’t students now have join community teams. However with a new all student team there’s a chance of the team reaching official sport status on campus leading to possible funding and scholarships.

7)    You can find the team zooming around Aldrich Park.

If any students want to see Anteater Quidditch to better understand the complicated intricacies of this new sport they can do so every Friday when the team practices around Aldrich Park from three to five in the afternoon, using the trees in the park as a natural obstacle course. Anyone is welcome to bring a pipe and learn the sport and team membership is open throughout the year.

#UCI #AnteaterQuidditch

[lifeonringroad]

5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the Popular $2 Boba at UCI

By: Katie Xing         

(Photo Courtesy: Konnect) 

        During the 9th week on November 22, right across from the Student Center’s Starbucks, the Korean Awareness and Social Club, also known as Konnect, begin to set up their business for their 8th Boba sale of the fall quarter with a blue “Boba Sale” sign leaning against the front of the table. A large cooler behind the table stores the chilled sweet refreshing famous $2 Boba drinks UCI is practically known for. Konnect’s time on Ring Road begins at 11:00 am and ends 3:00pm, or earlier if they sell out. 

         Within every ten-minute passing period as students begin to make their way to their next class, Cherry Ji, an intern for Konnect, dressed in a hand made light brown Boba drink costume screams with enthusiasm, “ Two dollar Milk Tea Boba! Boba for two dollars! We accept Venmo!” 

          There seems to be a desire for the sweet milk tea with the tapioca balls that sits in the bottom of the plastic cup. These chewy black balls, also known as Tapioca, traveled far to get into the hands of many Boba craving UCI students. Other than how delicious Boba tastes or to some the weird idea of chewy things in your drink, here are 5 things you probably didn’t know behind the scenes of the famous $2 Boba milk tea on the UCI campus. 

1. The popular Boba drink, also known as Bubble Tear or Pearl Milk Tea, originated from Taichung, Taiwan. Boba Milk Tea, or known as Zhen Zhu Nai Cha was invented in 1987 in the Chun Shui Tang teahouse located in Taichung, Taiwan. The person who claims to have invented the drink is the entrepreneur Lui Han Chieh, who sought the inspiration after a trip toJapan. Boba, also known as Tapioca, comes from the cassava root plant, which is native to South America. it eventually made it’s way to the farming lands of Africa and Asia. Pearl Milk Tea is embedded within the Taiwanese culture. 

2. Lollicup, located in Diamond Jamboree, is the go to Boba shop for all UCI clubs and organizations fundraising event, which opened its doors in 2009. Lollicup, founded by Alan Yu and Marvin Cheng, opened its first store in the San Gabriel Valley in 2000, which was the humble beginning of boba being introduced to the United States markets.  By 2006, Lollicup open 60 stores across 6 states. Other locations that clubs gravitate towards for better deals is the Vietnamese to-go restaurant Banh Mi Che Cali, where they only sell Boba Milk Tea. 

3. Two of the most popular drinks sold on Ring Road is the Classic boba milk Tea and the light purple colored Taro Milk Tea. The Milk tea is made form brewed black tea leaves, boiled in 10000 mL of water. The leaves are then filtered out. Then creamer and brown sugar is aded to give the tea the milky sweet taste. Taro is a tropical plant, shaped like a potato, where the insides are a creamy white color with purple speckles. Taro milk tea is made from mixing taro powder, hot water and both brown and white sugar. To make Boba, the black tapioca pearls is boiled in water for 30 minutes till it is fully cooked, which gives it the chewy consistency. Tapioca naturally taste bland so honey and brown sugar is added to give it a sweet taste.

4. So how is it that Boba on Ring Road only cost $2, but cost more in stores?Why is it so cheap? Let’s do the math. Lollicup in Diamond Jamboree is highly aware of the high demands for Boba Milk Tea. To help the UCI community, Lollicup sells 100 orders of Boba milk tea to club organizations, like Konnect, at the price of $150. That’s nearly $1.50 for each drink. This way clubs can set the fair price of $2 to make a $0.50 profit from each refreshing drink they sell. It’s the best of both worlds, clubs being able to make a decent profit for club activities and satisfies the boba cravings of UCI students. 

5. Does your class end at 3:00pm? Well you may be in luck to still get your hands on inexpensive Boba drinks. Konnect will drop their prices of their Boba milk teas to $1 if they do not sell out by 3:00pm! 

       Boba lover and enthusiast, Jane Chen, of Taiwanese descent says, “ I especially love boba for the unique texture and slight sweetness of each bite. I also am extremely proud when I drink Boba because it is created by Taiwanese and I take a lot of pride in that.”