Monday, January 12, 1998
Letters
Friendliness is lacking at UCLA
On a recent nostalgic trip to UCLA, I naturally read the Daily
Bruin, and found myself agreeing wholeheartedly with Stephanie
Pfeffer’s article, "Return of the Rudeness" (Nov. 25).
It reminded me all too sharply of my undergraduate days at UCLA
and the lack of friendliness I encountered. Just as Stephanie says,
you could sit next to someone the whole quarter without getting a
smile or a greeting; if you saw a classmate in the library,
probably working on the same assignment you had, that classmate
would totally ignore you or give you a hostile glare if you tried
to initiate a conversation. Why? I never found out.
Even in the cafeteria, it was difficult to have a casual
conversation with strangers. That’s what we all were – strangers.
This wasn’t what I had expected from my college experience. It was
all right. I made a few friends in my dormitory, and we hung out
together through the four years. I got a good education, made a few
friends. But it could have been better.
I don’t know why UCLA is like that; I don’t know what can be
done about it. Maybe Stephanie’s article is a step in the right
direction.
Sylvia Miller
Scarsdale, N.Y.
UCLA alumna