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If there's one part of UC Irvine that makes me feel particularly spoiled, it's the Anteater Recreation Center (ARC). Not only does its recent remodel boast a brand-new weight room and equipment, but only at the ARC can you go swimming, get a massage, take a cooking class and climb a rock wall in the same afternoon. It's the nicest college athletics facility I've ever been to, and in my opinion even surpasses expensive private fitness clubs like Newport Beach's Equinox or the ritzy 24-Hour Fitness Ultra Sport.

Half of what makes or breaks a campus is the people. As my friends at Campus Tours told me, all you need to start a club here are three friends, a constitution, $40 … and a dream With the wide array of quirky clubs UC Irvine students have used this rule to create, three in particular stand out.

Twelve trench coat-clad UC Irvine students pour into the unusually warm streets of Amsterdam's Red Light District in search of Hotel The Globe. Through the cobblestone streets of the District, the wheels of our baggage click between stones and our eyes wander between old architecture and the streaming canal. It is March 20 and finals week exhaustion can barely penetrate the excitement of travel as we arrive at the hostel and recuperate for half an hour and reassemble downstairs.

While posters, banners, tents and other miscellaneous promotional materials garnered attention for various organizations on Ring Road during the first week of spring quarter, individuals flocked to another part of UC Irvine that was almost in total darkness. With only a few flashlights and flickering screens, the UCI Observatory gathered attention from the UCI community and beyond with its series of three Visitor Nights held from April 3 to April 5.

When you think of Goodwill, you might think of shelves of used toasters, racks of obscure T-shirts, old stuffed animals, and maybe even the clothing you donated last week, as I have. Don't let your first impression or the store's notorious aroma deter you from seeking what could be your next favorite item of clothing. Recently, I found a black vintage jumpsuit, denim jacket, faux-fur stole, and several other pieces to use for fabric at the Goodwill store in Costa Mesa. I've learned that if you take the time to sift through the racks, you're often lucky enough to discover a unique item.

Gloves on. Lightsaber ready. It's time to duel.

Ah, the geek: the socially awkward, anime-obsessed, MMORPG-playing, pale basement-dweller. Right?

Where I ate: McCormick & Schmick's, 2000 Main Street, Irvine. What I ate: 1/2 pound cheeseburger and fries, and an order of Haystack Onions. What it cost me: $1.95 for the cheeseburger and fries, $1.95 for Haystack Onions and $2.75 for a drink, plus tax.

This country's legal system operates on the code of innocent until proven guilty. While this might be applied with the law, you almost never see it in everyday life.

Travel a few miles up the 55 North and the prim, polished, perfectly planned community of Irvine transforms into the graffiti-ridden, overpopulated metropolis of Santa Ana. According to School Data Direct, a service of the Council of Chief State School Officers next door to one of the most affluent, first-rate research universities in California, the Santa Ana Unified School District stands as one of the lowest-ranked school districts in Orange County. We remain aware of these curious socio-economic contrasts, yet the question remains – what can we do?

Guy 1: Dude, it must hurt to get a vasectomy. Guy 2: Yeah, seriously. Hey, what's the opposite of that called? Guy 1: Getting your...

Donn Silberman of the Optics Institute of Southern California, dressed in eccentrically wizard-like clothing, demonstrates the way light enters 3D goggles in a...