Features

Students of the School of Information and Computer Science were treated to food, given the chance to dunk the Dean of ICS in...

The double doors of the court room open as a group of men and women enter, dressed in their Calvin Klein neck ties and form-fitting pencil skirts. No music beats syncopate the sounds of their footsteps as they make their way toward the stand. Judge Mills does not have his gavel at hand waiting to preside over the legal woes of biter exes. This isn't an episode of "The People's Court." Welcome to the National Championship Tournament for the most talented mock trial teams worldwide.

THE WAY I SEE IT: Before I even turned the much-anticipated age of 21, I told myself (and so did my mother) that I would go to Vegas and be the best 21-year-old I could be. Translation: drink, gamble and do all of the reckless things I would not be able to do in a few years. This, however, never happened, and it was not long before I found myself in the same old routine: school, the occasional visit back home, the rare house party and the infrequent satisfaction of purchasing my own alcohol. Then I turned 22, and decided that this little "ring around the Vegas" had gone on long enough.

Have you ever stared at the stars and saw a UFO whiz by? Caught a glimpse of a phantom out of the corner of your eye? Eaten at Veggie Grill to "cleanse" your system? Well, you're kidding yourself.

ZOT IN THE CITY: I call Brandon to give him a quick hello and tell a funny story about a friend's unfortunate bathroom incident, expecting a few good laughs and some light-hearted joke-cracking. Instead, Brandon abruptly tells me that he is trying to shoot some strippers, and asks if he can call me back later.

CHRONICLES OF GNARNIA: We are nearing Cachuma Lake. Huge green hills are on either side of me. I can see them outside the freeway through the windshield, bushes spotting around, and everything is bald-looking. "Mark! America!" says my dad, sitting in the driver seat.

AWKWARD SITUATIONS: It's often said that people change a lot when they come to college. But the majority of people do not change so drastically that they start to cross-dress.

Sleep longer or go to class; chocolate or vanilla; Coke or Sprite; iced or hot; soy or nonfat; burger or burrito; chicken or beef: everyday, we are bombarded with a plethora of options.

College professors from the University of Central Florida argue that their students are increasingly illiterate in the field of physics. They believe movies like "Speed" and "Spider-Man" only perpetuate ignorance about science. Statistical evidence supports these trends, despite the fact that common sense would affirm that events in movies are created by stuntmen and special effects.

A UCI student performs research as part of a Field Freshwater Ecology class at the San Joaquin Marsh in May 2008.

Molly Jacobs, a student in the UCI Drama Department, applies aging makeup to her face while preparing for her role as Madame Flora...

Tony Rasmussen plays guitar as part of the UCI Music Showcase put on by the UCI Music Department. Undergraduate and graduate music students...