When we talk about the queen of pop culture, no woman better fits the bill than Beyoncé. Her influence in America is unparalleled – people pay hundreds to see her in concert, they call her Queen Bey as she is basically American royalty and her unborn twins are being compared to Luke and Leia from Star Wars, cast as a new hope in the age of Donald Trump. Read more...

Photo: Beyoncé’s music and performances go beyond entertainment into the realm of generating wider dialogues. (Creative Commons photo by Rocbeyonce via Wikimedia Commons)

This post was updated on March 3 at 5:45 p.m. In a society that emphasizes and celebrates greatness, and with a new president that continuously brags about being the best, it’s hard to remember that there’s nothing wrong with being common and average. Read more...

One of the reasons I chose to come to UCLA was its diverse community, encompassing students from all nationalities, races, sexualities and ages. Some of my classmates were even born in a different generation. Read more...

Photo: Bingyan Zhu, a third-year mathematics student, already has a bachelor’s degree from an agricultural university in China. (Chelsea Zhang/Daily Bruin)

UCLA has been a smoke-free campus ever since UCLA started the Tobacco-Free Initiative in April 2013. Then-president of the University of California system Mark Yudof began the initiative, resulting in tobacco-free campuses systemwide. Read more...

Photo: Signs like these dot the campus, but cigarette butts can still be found in hidden areas on campus. (Daily Bruin file photo)