Monday, February 3, 1997
DORMS:
It isn’t quite what they had in mind, but UCLA’s first snow day
was a hit with residentsBy Michelle Navarro
Daily Bruin Contributor
Posters all over the residence halls bragged, "10 tons of
snow!"
Flyers in mailboxes announced, "Lots of snow!"
Then, at high noon Saturday, the time had arrived and all of
Sunset Village was ready to be transformed into a winter
wonderland.
Little did the residents of UCLA’s on-campus housing know that
what sounded impressive would only be enough to cover a grassy
corner in Sunset Village Quad.
They came in shorts, sandals and tank tops on that sunny
afternoon, slipping and sliding across the ice. However, many
puzzled faces expressed the surprise at how much 10 tons of snow
didn’t cover.
"It’s more like 100 pounds," said Hyunji Hazel Kim, a
second-year business student.
Although surprise appeared to be the shared sentiment among the
students, the majority felt that bringing snow to sunny Southern
California was a creative idea and deserved merit.
"I thought there would be more snow, but it was still a good
effort. It’s the thought that counts," said Jason Karas, a
first-year economics student, as he toted his red, plastic saucer
sled up the knoll of snow.
The brains behind the program were two Dykstra Hall program
assistants  Kristen Perry of the 10th floor and Juliet Kim of
the ninth floor.
Perry said the idea came from a similar event that happened at
her neighborhood park. Originally Perry and Kim had slated the
program to take place at Dykstra Hall, instead of at Sunset
Village.
"The purpose was to bring people to Dykstra. I’m kind of
disappointed. We wanted people to come down there because it’s so
isolated," Kim said.
Last quarter, Kim and Perry asked all the hall associations to
help pay the $1,200 fee for the snow. Sunset Village offered to
give $750, but there was a catch.
"We told them that just in case they needed more money, we could
give them $750 if they moved the snow to Sunset. Either way we
would’ve helped them out," said Telly Tse, Sunset Village
government president.
Ultimately, the two Dykstra PAs agreed to let Sunset Village
carry the bulk of the payment. They distributed the remaining
balance between the residents’ associations of Dykstra, Hedrick,
Rieber and Sproul halls, as well as the Office of Traffic and
Safety and the Faculty in Residence.
"I kind of felt like a sell-out. But it couldn’t happen without
their money," Perry said.
With more money, an additional ton was added, bringing the grand
total to 11 tons of snow. Yet, that extra ton still didn’t do the
trick.
"We really had no idea what it would look like. The people from
the company came over and said it would take 40 tons to fill it up.
We can’t afford that," Kim said.
Despite the slight disappointment, Perry and Kim still felt
their program was a success.
"I thought 11 tons of snow would look like more," Perry said,
"but it looks like we got a good turn out, so we’re happy."
A few of the concerns involving the program were safety and
damage to university property.
A snow sculpture contest was held to divert students from
potentially dangerous activities, such as snowball fights.
Resident faculty members judged the competition, and after 10
minutes of deliberation, decided on a tie between a sculpture of
the "Coca-Cola" polar bear and one of a cat.
"I’m going to Disneyland," said Dorian Jackson, a third-year
history student who helped build the polar bear. "It’s all about
the Fatburger motive," he added, clutching his prize, a $5
Fatburger certificate.
Another safety precaution was to place the snow over the grass
as opposed to having it over the parking lot or concrete. That
decision produced another concern as to whether or not 11 tons of
icy snow would harm the grass.
"The company we bought the snow from has been doing it for 20
years. They said it wouldn’t damage the grass. But we’ll see for
sure when it melts," said Gerald Lamb, Dykstra’s resident director,
as he sat a considerable distance away from the snow zone.
"I’m in Southern California to get away from the snow. I’m from
Virginia, so I’ve had my fair share of blizzards," Lamb said.
On the flip side, there were a few people who said this was
their first snow experience.
"I’ve never seen snow before. I’m disappointed that it’s just
ice, but it’s fun anyway," said Catherine Nguyen, a second-year
undeclared student, as she took an empty, brown trash bag and dived
head first down the snow-covered mound.
AARON TOUT
On-campus residents build a bear from 11 tons of snow dumped on
Sunset Village on Saturday. Organizers say event was a success.