Despite an 85-67 home loss to UC San Diego on Feb. 8, UC Irvine’s Men’s Basketball team did something rarely seen at the university — they turned out thousands of people for a common cause.
In their largest home crowd since 2020 for a basketball game, UCI achieved a couple of hours of true unity among the student body, something rarely felt at a university often berated for its social complacency and lack of student cohesiveness. It may be years before UCI sees something like this again, but it shouldn’t be.
New University has previously called for more third spaces on campus for students to interact, meet new friends and grow their professional and social lives. This stance has not changed. It should not take a nationally televised regular-season sports game for UCI students to come together every five years.
Student communications and relationships are the lifeblood of a successful university. No matter how much notable research is conducted, sports championships are won or Nobel Peace Prizes are awarded to UCI affiliates, it is the common student who should be the focus of the university’s administration.
The common student wants a social life of easy and safe interaction without the pressure to create a social circle in their first year on campus or risk social isolation. The common student wants to be able to find their campus social network without having to join a specific organization in order to interact with their classmates all day. The common student wants the caliber of their social experience at UC Irvine to match the caliber of their education.
More on-campus housing is a step in the right direction and UCI is building more beds for students to fill. But a true campus should operate like its own ecosystem, free from mile-or-longer walks from a student’s home to center campus or major gathering spots like the Bren Center.
UCI should invest in students further, and it should start with more student housing for nonfreshman undergraduates, more third places on campus and an emphasis on social interaction for students from the moment they enter the university.
Editor’s note: Editorials should not be interpreted to reflect the opinion, thoughts or beliefs of any individual New University editor, staff member or affiliate.