STUDENT LIFE AND SPORTS ON CAMPUS

Paper Trail
A selection of winter quarter Guardian headlines.

Man Robs Campus Parking Attendant At Gunpoint –Jan. 10, 2005 Police believe a student or campus affiliate may be responsible for robbing two parking attendants at gunpoint and stealing approximately $1,000 in parking proceeds. The general description of the suspect and method of crime—including concealing clothes and use of a revolver—match a December theft from a parking attendant working in Thornton Hospital. MORE

OAP To Restore Study In Israel

–Editorial Error: We apologize for a recent error in the print issue of May’s Guardian Online column. One news item stated that the OAP was drafting a waiver to U.S. State Department’s warning on travel to Israel. This was misreported in the original Guardian article. In fact, OAP have informed us that they will continue their existing policy of discouraging students from going to any countries with State Department Travel Warnings. This follows the UC Education Abroad Program's Travel Warning restrictions on participation in programs abroad, and is consistent with their existing policy on travel abroad to countries with travel warnings.

VIEW 2/28/05 GUARDIAN FEATURE

Business Down In Student Center

–March 3, 2005 For some businesses in Student Center, the building complex’s
expansion is coming at a cost. Since construction began earlier this fall, several vendors say they have noticed a marked decline in business—something they blame on reduced access to the complex. In an unusually wet winter, the weather has also proved to be a major issue, with the complex providing little indoor seating. MORE

Food Co-op Satellite Agreement Finalized –March 7, 2005 The Food Co-op will open a second store in Price Center, under an agreement brokered among the University, Associated Students and co-op officials on March 1.The satellite will serve a variety of alternative foods and drinks. Specifically, the co-op will serve food free of preservatives, colorings, additives or processed chemicals, according to the finalized space agreement. MORE

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Over There Camp Pendleton may be just 30 minutes north of La Jolla, but UCSD students and Marines inhabit two different worlds. A campus group is helping to change that with their Blue Star Project.

Their mission is simple: to encourage and support U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan by sending them care packages and letters. Students compile everything from food items (including gum, candy, beef jerky, tuna and granola bars) to magazines to stationery to toiletries. They also include handwritten letters expressing thanks to the soldiers for their sacrifice.

“I may never go to the Middle East, but I’m glad I can send comfort to those who put their lives on the line for us,” says Grace Fong, ’06, a literature major. “Whenever I feel like I’m having a bad day, it makes me feel better that I can possibly do something to help them.”

So far, the Blue Star Project has sent over 100 packages abroad, and a number of soldiers have responded saying how grateful they are.

“I received your package today,” wrote Marine Sergeant Kyle Rasmussen from Iraq. “I passed out the stuff you sent so everyone got something out of it. We have been in the field for two weeks now and we were running low. Again thank you so much for your kindness and love. We all thank you. And UCSD RULES!”

The Smile is Free Dental care is a luxury for many who are too poor to afford it.

The UCSD Pre-Dental Society recognized this growing health problem and launched two free dental clinics in Pacific Beach and downtown San Diego as well as a clinic at Baker Elementary School. The clinic at Baker is the only free orthodontic clinic in the San Diego vicinity.

The first Free Dental Clinic was opened in 1999. It was the brainchild of Eric Goldlust, a UCSD M.D./Ph.D student, who became its first director. All of the clinics administer dental care to an underserved population that includes homeless as well as low-income and uninsured patients. From fillings to extraction, cleaning to hygiene, the free clinics serve five to 10 patients each day, depending on staff availability.

The program has gained national attention, with doctors Ellen Beck, Melanie Parker and Irvin Silverstein receiving the American Dental Association’s Access to Dental Care Award last year for their contributions to the clinic. Additionally, it has inspired deans from dental schools and pre-dental programs around the country to start their own clinics and model them after the UCSD example.

“Our clinic is unique,” says UCSD Dental Clinic director and advisor Irvin Silverstein. “Most universities have a pre-dental club or program, but our students actually work
on the needs of the underserved.”

Last year, corporate and community partners collaborated with the 140 students and 40 dentists to deliver dental care worth $400,000 free of charge to those in need. Students are trained and, in some cases, licensed for procedures such as handling x-rays and CPR. This opportunity was what attracted Vera Lee, ’04, a biochemistry/cell biology major.

“I witnessed the miraculous transformations of the patients we treated at the UCSD free clinics,” says Lee, who will attend dental school in the fall. “I’ve seen children come in, grimacing in pain, only to leave with smiles.”

Lee and her fellow dentists-in-training recognize the importance of dental health beyond just alleviating pain.

“For many of our patients, improved oral health is essential to their survival,” Lee says. “It brings joy to my heart to see how dental care can improve a person’s self-esteem and dramatically change their lives for the better.”

Now that’s something to smile about.

¡Hola! The Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS) has created seven scholarships for Mexican students to train them in the future development of telecommunications infrastructures in Mexico. The program, called the United States-Mexico Training, Internships, Exchanges and Scholarships (TIES) Initiative, will be funded by the U.S. government, the Association Liaison Office for University Cooperation in Development, the United States Agency for International Development, UCSD, Qualcomm and two Mexican universities: The Center for Economics Research and Teaching in Mexico City and the Center for Scientific Investigation and Higher Education of Ensenada.

Students from these two universities will have the opportunity to learn about telecommunications infrastructure development and microfinance at IR/PS and will collaborate with faculty and students at the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies on campus. The hope is that the students will bring this knowledge home to help develop rural communities.

IR/PS expects to have three students entering in the fall. “We hope this program will result in links between UCSD and these universities that will lead to sustained student flows in future years,” says project director and IR/PS professor Christopher Woodruff. The introduction of top Mexican students will further enhance the diversity of backgrounds and views at IR/PS, which already includes students from all over the world.

- Cliff Notes Written by Evelyn Hsieh, '05