Tuesday, February 18, 1997
It’s been two years since the
masses of students gathered in the streets of Westwood to
celebrate the NCAA Basketball Championship, but some Bruins say
they still know how to party.By Tricia Fong Hua Arnsdorf
Daily Bruin Contributor
Two years ago, when the UCLA men’s basketball team took the 1995
NCAA Basketball Championship title, the streets of Westwood were
jam-packed. Masses of students took over Broxton Avenue, Gayley
Avenue and Westwood Boulevard, to name a few. Students, staff,
alumni and other Bruin fans paraded through the streets, elbow to
elbow in a frenzy of excitement and satisfaction.
Cheering with screams of victory loud enough to penetrate the
West Los Angeles area, some voices grew hoarse. People were pumped
up, and even the media shared the experience by keeping the film
rolling and airing that footage.
California and the rest of the United States got a peek of the
rage that struck the UCLA campus that spring, and it was agreed
that UCLA knew how to celebrate and have a good time.
While the turnout that crazy evening suggests that UCLA is a
party school, many agree that UCLA is not always so rowdy and
alive.
"When we saw all of those people in the street, we were
surprised," said Jennifer Bushek, a fourth-year psychology student.
"We didn’t even know that many people went to school here."
In all, there are roughly 35,000 students at UCLA, each
preoccupied with their busy schedules.
Academics, jobs and extra-curricular activities keep them on the
go, rushing from one activity to the next. If it’s not midterms,
it’s a paper, and if it’s not working, it’s putting in community
service hours. Prioritizing is a constant effort.
It is this prioritizing that affects UCLA’s status as a party
school, and many students disagree that parties here are as wild as
they had once been.
Tommy Molem, an apartment manager of Atrium Court in Westwood
for seven years, says that there is less partying, but the area is
far from dead.
"Forty to 50 percent of my residents party. When Thursday and
Friday come, people get a little wild," Molem said.
According to other managers, "little" is the operative word. In
addition to the dwindling numbers of those who party, they say the
parties they see aren’t the big ragers they expect or are used to.
On the contrary, they consider the parties their residents have to
be similar to a gathering amongst friends. Here, a circle of
friends get together and drink, play music and chat, all within the
privacy of their own apartment.
"In general, they don’t break the rules, and they quietly do
their own thing within the walls of their apartment," says Marie
Ehrhardt, a building supervisor of apartment complexes in Westwood
for 10 years. "I think that there is more of a respect for
neighbors."
Over the course of the past decade, Ehrhardt has dealt with
several tenants and their partying, and she admits that the party
scene at UCLA is not the same.
"There has been a tremendous turnaround since 1987, 1988 and
1989 when the weekend began on Thursday and went straight through
to Sunday," Ehrhardt says. "Prospective tenants used to ask about
our party policy first, before anything else  that was the
big question. I can’t remember anyone asking about it lately."
Much like apartment parties, campus dormitories are also quieter
than expected. With minimal partying and few discipline problems,
some residential directors seem to agree that students are showing
more of a responsibility with respect to placing academics at the
top of their priority list.
Chris Bender, a residential assistant in Dykstra Hall for the
past two years, says that partying in the dorms has stayed the same
throughout his four years here at UCLA.
"Partying in residence halls is low," said Bender, a fourth-year
English student. "There are spurts of partying at UCLA, but most of
what goes on happens at Greek houses, in Westwood or in the
apartments."
Bender, who has partied at other universities including USC, Cal
State Fullerton, Cal State Fresno and UC Santa Barbara, says that
they have much bigger turnouts. He added that at many of those
parties, there are things to do other than dance and drink.
"There was an ‘SC party I went to where you pulled papers out of
a hat and had to do what it said. Things like that just make a
party more like an event for people to go to."
But even without event-based parties, some schools still get
down.
UCSB, for example, is infamous for partying and many students
agree that Isla Vista, its college town, always seems alive.
Parties line the streets and people are out and about at all hours
of the day.
"It’s like you can walk down the street, and every couple of
houses there’s another party," said Andrew Wolfberg, a second-year
biology student. Both Wolfberg and Bender are among many who escape
to parties at UCSB and they say it lives up to its reputation.
Even with the more extreme partying that goes on at other
schools, UCLA is still perceived as a party school by many
Bruins.
Approaching the intersection of Gayley and Strathmore on a
Thursday night, a passerby might notice the flash of bright,
spinning lights out of the corner of his eye. A rhythmic thumping
echoes through the fraternity houses up and down the row, sending
sound waves up to some apartment buildings as well.
There are crowds of people making their way around fraternity
row to see which house is the liveliest. By 11 p.m., balconies are
packed and the living rooms that have been converted into dance
floors begin to creak.
Some UCLA students admit that overall, they do party heavily.
Nevertheless, many also say that UCLA is experiencing a decline in
the huge, wild partying it once saw. In short, despite all the
partying that still goes on, the number and magnitude of parties
continues to wane.
"My freshman year, I think (UCLA) was ranked somewhere in the
top three for partying schools in California," said third-year
psychobiology student Angela Park. "I know we’ve gone down a far
way since then, but we’re still up there."
Addressing the issue of why partying at UCLA has declined,
students suggest a number of reasons. The most common assertion is
that academically, UCLA is challenging and that there is a strong
sense of competition among students that seems to be growing. Many
students plan on going to graduate school and admit that times are
getting tougher and that they can’t afford to let their grades
slide.
A more fierce job market leads students to dedicate themselves
to a variety of clubs and other activities.
Vickie Euyoque, a second-year sociology student, said, "College
students are taking the time to get involved with things like
internships and other on-campus activities that weren’t as popular
before. I think a lot of it has to do with a more competitive
setting."
UCLA’s location may also affect partying on campus. With movie
theaters all over Westwood, clubs lining the streets of Hollywood
and fun to be had at Universal Citywalk  all just minutes
away  students don’t feel the need to confine themselves to
campus. A seemingly endless list of options leaves UCLA students
open to most any activity. Unlike many other schools that are
notorious for partying, campus life for UCLA students is not the
only life.
Overwhelmed by school and work, Euyoque admits she tries to
maintain a balance in her life by attending parties.
"The parties might not be jumping out at you, but if you want to
party, you can definitely find something."
Like many students, Euyoque also says, "Whether or not UCLA is a
party school is what you make of it. If you want to make it a party
school and you have fun with it, then yes, it is a party
school."
That night back in spring of 1995, the Bruins showed they knew
how to party. Euyoque says, "Perception has a lot to do with
it."