Throughout the last 50 years, the UC Irvine campus has exhibited vast changes. What started out as 1,589 students is now 28,000 students and has a reputation as one of the most distinguished universities in the world. So, what kind of changes has UCI made in the last 50 years?

On a beautiful, sunny day in mid-1959, the University of California purchased 1,000 acres – what would eventually become the beautiful University of California, Irvine – from the monopolizing Irvine Company for a hefty price of $1. And it’s all been downhill since then. OK. I joke, but seriously: with this year’s freshman class, the 50th graduating class, I think it may be safe to say that this campus peaked in its mid-20s.

America was still in Vietnam when UC Irvine opened in 1965. Jobs sprung from the dirt along with new housing complexes and turfgrass and thousands were attracted to the palm-treed paradise. War vets, Asian immigrants, Latino immigrants, African-Americans —pretty much everyone flocked to California. Meanwhile, UCI was just a few buildings situated in dry isolation surrounded by miles of dirt and blue sky.

Introductions: In this corner! Wearing a red Michael Jordan No. 23 jersey, standing approximately 6 feet and 2 inches tall, and weighing in at 175 pounds, he is the Sultan of Strut, the epitome of swagger. He walks at a pace of 5.5 miles per hour, never sacrificing style; yet somehow he has yet to be inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame for speed walking. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Charles Jock’s hero, the Pacer of Peltason himself — Swag Maaaaaaaaaaan!

By Zachary Risinger Staff Writer My mother is, by definition, an alumna of UC Irvine. I say “by definition” because the requirement for alumni status is...

By Heather Hoang “Hi! Welcome!” You know how it is to enter Cha for Tea, the boba shop over at UTC — constant shrill greetings followed...

By Taylor Weik Staff Writer I remember everything about the first time I attended Wayzgoose as a high school senior last spring. My mom walked into...

By Colleen Humfreville Staff Writer A friend of mine once asked me, “Why do you have to be completely frank with me … why can’t you...

By Natasha Aftandilians Staff Writer Oscar Wilde once said, “Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.”...

By Gregory Yee Staff Writer The line stretched outside the Anthill Pub and Grille at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012. The word was out:...

SPOOF: Loyd Calomay, a 1994 UCI alumnus, followed his heart into a successful independent film company.

THRIVE: The Film and Media Studies department has experienced many leaps and bounds over its ten years.

FILM: Irvine may be a neutral campus, but it has a relation with cinema that not everyone knows.

RADIO: KUCI, which started back in 1967, has witnessed the ever-changing atmosphere in music since.