Former Irvine Mayor Beth Krom announced her bid for Congress against incumbent Congressman John Campbell on March 9. Although the Republican congressman has been challenged before by Democratic candidates like Steve Young, who ran for two terms unsuccessfully against the better-known Campbell, none of them have ever been able to have a fighting chance due to lack of funds or lack of reputation.
My friends over at UC Irvine Campus Representatives constantly find ways to surprise me about the going-ons of UCI, and if you've taken one of their tours, they have probably surprised you, too.
Close your eyes. Imagine you are an 8-year-old child in Africa. Imagine living in fear of being taken away from your family by a rebel army. Imagine having friends that have disappeared who you know are now child soldiers and sex slaves. Imagine going to bed at night and wondering if you might be next. Imagine if no one knew.
UC Irvine generally does a great job of welcoming students. Lately, however, as I've followed those springtime campus tours around, I've noticed one thing that is wrong. Cheerful and otherwise well-prepared docents offer a problematic picture to potential Anteaters and their parents. Last week, a jolly tour guide stood under a tree and assured everybody that Academic Senate faculty members teach all classes at UCI.
On Friday night, the Greek community held its 30th annual Songfest philanthropy event in the Bren Events Center. This year, the event raised over $30,000 for the Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer program, burying Songfest's goal of $25,000. Each fraternity and sorority at UC Irvine paired up in fall quarter and for the entire year rigorously rehearsed 12 minutes from a play of their choosing. The end result is three hours of singing, dancing and choreography. Past Songfests have included segments from plays such as "Wicked" and "All Shook Up."
We fly high, U-C-I, you know it! Now that I have the cheese out of the way, let me get even straighter to the point. UC Irvine sports have never been better. I repeat, never been better!
What do tight short-shorts, cut-off jerseys and big balls remind you of? Well, for me, only one thing comes to mind: a game in an old man softball league.
"UC Irvine is so boring! There is nothing to do! It is dead on the weekends! Everything closes early!" Insert a whiny voice when all those things are said and this probably sounds like most of you. I have news for you. Stop being a Debbie Downer and couch potato and open your eyes. UCI, and Orange County in general, has more to offer than you may know — way more.
