Since 1965, the New University has recorded UCI’s history through weekly issues highlighting everything from sports events to campus clubs to political uprisings. We have worked tirelessly to exhibit the voices and experiences of students across campus, integrating student work into our paper and encouraging commentary and feedback. Our publication has won numerous awards through the years, and have produced writers that now write for publications across the country, including OC Weekly, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.
After over 50 years in print, we are now at risk of losing our print edition, and possibly our paper altogether, due to lack of funds. We are asking for students’ help to prevent this from happening. All we need is for our readers to vote “yes” on Measure U, which requests that every student pay $3 per quarter to support the New University and keep UCI’s journalistic tradition alive.
Currently, we are an independent, entirely student-run newspaper. We do not receive funds from any department or organization at the university, as we want the freedom to decide what goes in the paper and remain objective to all points of view present on campus. We support our print edition through advertising revenue, but like newspapers worldwide, our monetary support has dwindled significantly in recent years. At the same time, costs for printing have increased. As a result, the paper has reduced its length from about 70 pages when it first started to its current 16 pages. Editor salaries have been cut yearly, and staff has considered giving up our monetary compensation entirely to fund our organization.
In addition to print, the New U also has a digital edition. Although we understand the importance of transitioning more fully to this medium in light of new technology and consumer demand, we feel that it is imperative to keep a print edition available while we make this difficult transition. We also need the resources to hire a team of students with experience in web design, layout, and social media to lead the charge. Change is difficult, but we believe that with enough support and funding, we can smoothly switch over to digital and still keep up the quality and integrity of our paper.
We understand that tuition already puts a hefty monetary stress on students, but if every student can contribute just $3 to our cause each quarter, it will be enough to keep our legacy going. We are not here to take your money and spend it frivolously without your knowledge. Our intentions are simple and clear: we want to continue recording and spotlighting UCI’s story, from its flaws to its achievements, for students and for posterity. Whatever we do, we always keep our readers in mind. All we ask in return is that you take a couple of seconds at the polls to show your support, and pick up a newspaper while you’re at it.
From the Editors
When I first came to Irvine, I heard thousands upon thousands of times over: Irvine is not a sports school. There is no thumping or thunderous fan section, no rowdy pregame rallies. There is no football team and no one really acknowledges the accolades that many of our sports programs have already managed to accomplish. WE ARE A MID-MAJOR SCHOOL.
I quickly discovered that many of these assumptions — save the football team — were grossly untrue. There is a rich community of people at UCI who really do care about and take pride in our school’s athletics program. These are the people who fill up the stands at the Bren Events Center and Anteater Stadium, those who dance along with Peter the Anteater and the fight songs that blare out loudly from the band.
As an avid sports fan and writer, I needed to document this, to share the excitement and energy that seemed to be lost to the public eye, to show that Irvine does have the heart and competitive spirit that other schools express.
The New University was the perfect outlet do this and it became a place where I could share my love for sports with others and to help prove that Irvine deserves to be in the conversation when it comes to being an notable athletic school along with being a excellent academic one.
Irvine may not be the first destination that comes to mind when it comes to collegiate sports, but there is no denying the strong body of student athletes whose personal adversities and triumphs deserve to be told.
Love it or hate it, sports is a staple in every community, serving as a powerful commodity that can forge connections between people regardless of where they are in their lives.
Marvin Luu is the Sports editor.
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The New University has been amazing in providing me experience with newspaper writing and along the way, I’ve also gained publishing, design and leadership skills. I’ve been able to learn how to design layouts, use Photoshop, report on news events, edit other writers’ work, lead a team and write my own articles. Beyond these practical benefits that have helped me be a better student and a better candidate for jobs and internships, every week I get to make something that I’ve worked hard on. (I may or may not clip out my section every week and hang it on the wall.) It makes me proud that I worked hard on something and saw it through from the first story ideas to the final graphic designs. Through the newspaper, I’ve met other people who are passionate about writing and sharing information and their opinions; the New U editorial board and the dozens of writers that we work with are all interesting people who I wouldn’t have met anywhere else. Lastly, one of the things I love about the New U is that anyone can write for our paper. Anyone from any major can write and be published in print and online, which is an accomplishment in itself, but it also lets our newspaper share diverse voices from all across UCI.
Nicole Block is the arts and entertainment editor.
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The features section at the New University serves as a place for the voices of UCI students to be heard. Each week, we provide one to two pages full of content that profiles diverse projects from professors and students across campus. We share school events that make an impact on the wider community. We feature clubs and organizations and their purposes here at UCI. And we also introduce local eateries to all the foodies out there.
Each section of the New University is equally important to UCI in terms of telling the stories of our university. But especially in the features section, we are able to get up close and personal with our subjects and their stories.
Without the features section, the Claire Trevor School of the Arts students and their works of art might remain undiscovered by the community. UCI engineers and their successful projects would remain only within the small community of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering. Scientific discoveries from the School of Biological Sciences would simply be lab experiments.
Although these accomplishments might occasionally be featured in other news plugs, the New University is always one of the first to publish events, and in the features section, we like to give each respective school, project, student and faculty the attention they deserve. After all, what is a school newspaper for if not to update the community about the events and accomplishments of the wonderful people on campus?
Crystal Wong is the features associate editor.
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Despite being a biological sciences major, I have known since the end of high school that I love the humanities. I pored over Shakespeare’s plays and meticulously wrote long descriptions and stories for my high school yearbook. Going into college, I thought that I would have to focus all of my attention on my major, and that opportunities to do anything else would be few and far between.
But in my freshman year, I joined the New University and have since enhanced my writing abilities and become more critical of what I read in the news or hear from my peers. The newspaper not only forces me to stay in the loop about what’s going on around the world and on campus, but it challenges me to be a more open-minded individual.
Because the thing is, while we all have strong opinions, there will always be another side ready to tell us that our opinion is absolutely wrong. Even now when I write, I get constant emails and comments on my articles from people who will tear apart my argument in ways that frustrate me and leave me lost for words.
While absolutely infuriating, this is also the best part about the opinion section. It is an open forum where everyone is welcome to showcase their ideas, or comment on those of others. We take students’ complaints, joys, and struggles and make sure they are heard and, if needed, addressed.
The opinion section is truly the voice of the students. I know it gave me a voice as a freshman biological sciences major, and I hope that it continues to give Anteaters from all majors and backgrounds a voice, too.
Michelle Bui is the opinion associate editor.
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The New University is comprised of a staff of student reporters who aim to serve the undergraduate population of UCI through investigative reporting, coverage of events, and documenting UCI’s history as it unfolds. We report on stories relevant to UCI students and write about issues of which students might not even be aware.
The news section is the cornerstone of the paper. The purpose of news itself is to keep students up-to-date and informed on our ever-changing world, as widely as international politics and as specifically as student demonstrations at Aldrich Hall. It’s important because it allows people to make informed decisions about their lives and about the world around them. Truth empowers people and it’s important in any functioning society. It’s especially imperative now, given America’s tumultuous political and cultural climate, to have a platform that remains impartial. Additionally, we exist to hold those in power accountable.
We cover a wide variety of issues including campus protests, ASUCI updates and guest lectures on campus, but go beyond merely reporting the facts. Our number one question is always: how does this affect UCI students? We examine general issues such as those concerning UC Regents, housing and rent, parking and tuition, and focus in on how that pertains to UCI students’ lives. Being students ourselves, we report and write with an angle and perspective that no other publication can have.
Nicole Wong is the associate news editor. Roy Lyle is the news editor.