THE SKINNY ON UCLA - OCTOBER 13th at WVRC - We were back home once again, and new member PETER TOMARKEN led the Pledge. Some of our PP’s, STEVE SCHERER and JIM DOWNIE, collaborated on the Song, You’re a Grand Old Flag. AL BELLANCA came forward and started off right by asking us to sit down for the Invocation. He acknowledged that President DON had asked him to give a Catholic Prayer, in honor of Yom Kippur. This only required AL to go back eighty years, or so he said, but here it is, “Bless us Oh Lord, for these thy gifts, which we are about to receive through thy bounty, through Christ our Lord, AMEN”.
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Andy and Nurse Pat
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New Member, Warren & Pat
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We had several Visiting Rotarians. Youthact Advisor Carmela Raack is from Culver City, in Education. Assistant Governor Lew Bertrand, Youth Activities, is from Palos Verdes Sunset. And leading the list is PDG John Colville, from Paramount. Our guests included WARREN DODSON’S “favorite wife”, Pat, who wanted to hear President DON’S jokes in person. PP GEORGE DEA introduced his wife, Janice – who doubles as President of our wonderful Auxiliary. PP PETER MORE brought Shirley, and PDG ANDY ANDERSON was with his wife, Pat. Kathy GAULD came with ED – and it does brighten up the place to have these lovely ladies with us.
There followed some repartee between PP’s SCHERER and LOBERG as to a ‘trophy’ sweatshirt which was both displayed and discussed. This model is indeed the same as one worn regularly by PP ERIC when he rows in the a.m., and it of course has other attributes, including provenance (that means it has a HISTORY!) The subject of money came up, along with a reminder that the original cost of these sweatshirts was a hundred bucks, at least ten years ago. This led PP STEVE to suggest that President DON really needed such a souvenir, and perhaps he would consider laying out $250 or even $300 for his own trophy sweatshirt . Needless to say, President DON was delighted with this opportunity and graciously accepted the suggested purchase price.
PDG ANDY ANDERSON spoke about his long and difficult illness, telling us that the many cards and calls were a wonderful source of support over his recovery period. He particularly singled out SALLY BRANT for her chocolate chip cookies, and noted how much he appreciated PP RALPH WOODWORTH’S offer to donate blood. ANDY, we missed you, and it’s great to have you back with us.
President DON announced that CATHY REZOS was moving away, and that ANN SAMSON has volunteered to replace her as Youth Service Chair. At our Board Meeting this past Tuesday, we voiced our appreciation for the strong leadership CATHY had provided for Rotaract, and noted that ANN has some tough shoes to fill. The last four tickets for UCLA football were then offered for bid. These were donated by former member JOHN HOAG. They are for the Arizona State game on November 12th, complete with a parking pass. KEVIN KOMATSU stepped forward, offering $150, and thus won the raffle.
It was Birthday Anniversary Day for those born in October – note that years are not mentioned here! Presents are of course distributed, but if you aren’t present to pick them up, there will be a ‘carrying charge’ assessed, of course. First up – and absent today – was PP BOB WESSLING, who elected Chicago on the 8th. RO SHAW appeared next, on the 10th, in Fujien, and I’m sure you knew that was in China. The next day, the 11th, was MIKE GINTZ turn, in nearby Northridge – and it should be noted that he not only appeared on his BIRTHDAY at our Board Meeting, but brought along his birthday cake for all to enjoy, which we did. STEW GILMAN decided to appear a week later, on the 18th, in good old LA. On the 23rd, PP RUDY ALVAREZ made his appearance – but he didn’t appear today! In addition to RO SHAW, another China arrivee was MADAME SYLVIA WU, in Jiujiang, on the 24th. The next day, the 25th, looked good to PP STEVE DAY, arriving in Sacramento – but alas, he, too, wasn’t with us today. SHANE WAARBROEK picked the 27th, in nearby West Covina. The 30th appealed to BOB THOM, in far away Detroit (but a no-show today). However, PP PETER MORE played the Trump Card, being the THIRD China arrival, in this month alone, in Shanghai on the 31st. The frivolity engendered by these announcements is not noticeably depressed by our singing of Happy Birthday…
TORI HETTINGER, Rotaract District Governor, was invited forward, along with Carmela Raack and Lew Bertrand. Carmela provided a brief history of the support provided to TORI by WVRC, including getting her to Chicago for the 100th Anniversary.
Once every three years, Rotaract has an International Convention–this September it was in Germany. TORI was able to attend, with a r/t ticket, upgraded to Business Class, and provided by PP PETER MORE. This announcement was greeted with solid applause, followed by Assistant Governor in charge of Youth Activities Lew Bertrand who presented PETER with the Rotary Spirit Award. This special honor has only been given twice for Youth Activities. PETER responded by thanking TORI for her dedicated leadership, adding that we would hope to have her as a Rotarian in not too many years.
Carmela then outlined some of TORI’S accomplishments, starting with her membership six years ago in El Segundo High School as an Interactor. TORI then became a member of Rotaract at Santa Monica College, transferred to UCLA where she became President of our Rotaract group. It had long been hoped that TORI would accept the District Governorship of Rotaract, both for her demonstrated leadership qualities and because she was so strongly supported by WVRC. TORI then outlined her visit to Germany, where Rotaract met in a village about an hour out of Munich. Some 250 Rotaractors attended the Convention, from over thirty countries. Included were members from Turkey, Japan, Columbia, Australia, England, Greece, South Africa, Indonesia, France, Mexico and Egypt – and the opportunity to share experiences with this diverse group was unique.
She learned that most Rotaract Clubs are Community based, not University based as in the U.S. As an example, the Rotary District headquartered in Istanbul has FIFTY-TWO Rotaract Clubs! They also did some sightseeing, including taking in the Octoberfest in Munich. Would you believe the tent in which they stayed was owned by a Rotarian?
Thus the beer was free all day! She recalls driving 130 MPH on the Autobahn enroute to the airport, and being passed by Mercedes, BMW’s and Porsches. She ended by thanking PP PETER MORE for his long and consistent support – he showed her what it takes to be a Rotarian. She then presented PETER with a souvenir Octoberfest Beer Mug. Needless to say, TORI’S remarks were well applauded.
President DON noted that we are all invited to the First Rotaract meeting of the year – it will be on October 20th, at UCLA, Ackerman Center, Room A201 from 4-5 p.m. This is a nice way to show our support for this fine student group, and so everyone is invited to attend.
DON then felt the need to tell a story, reminding Pat DODSON to pay particular attention. Three friends from a local congregation were asked what they would like their friends to say as they viewed them in their caskets. The first one said, “I would like them to say I was a wonderful husband, a spiritual leader, and a great family man”. The second friend said, “I would hope they would say I was a wonderful teacher, and a servant of God who made a huge difference in people’s lives”. The third person in the group said, “I would like them to say, Look, he moved”.
PP GEORGE DEA, with his background as a Dean at UCLA, was particularly well qualified to introduce our Speaker, Dr. Vu Tram, who is the Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools. Dr. Tram has been a part of the University System of higher education for 27 years, originally receiving his bachelors degree in South Vietnam in 1973, then a masters in business management at Northridge in 1976, and a doctorate of education from UCLA in 1999.
UCLA currently has about 37,000 students, 11,000 of whom are in graduate or professional programs. Dr. Tram is responsible for admitting all of the remaining 26,000 undergraduates. Currently, UCLA receives between 42,000 and 45,000 admission requests – the most of any college or university in the U.S. Of these, they will accept ten to eleven thousand, with the expectation that about 4,200 will enroll. Among the total applicants, 80% meet all admission requirements, and 18,000 have a GPA of 4.0 or above. This above 4.0 is achieved by taking Advanced Placement classes in high school.
40%, or about 8,000 applicants with 4.0 or above will be turned down. Other factors besides GPA taken into account are volunteer activity, plus overcoming personal challenges. Academics is still the most important, with the average SAT being 1400 to 1450 out of a possible 1600. About 5% of those with 3.9 GPA or less are usually admitted. Diversity is sought, and minorities account for about 16% of admissions. Minorities are defined as Afro-Americans, Native Americans, and Latinos. Asians comprise 40%, with whites making up the remaining 33%.
An extensive survey was conducted in 2004, which showed that 21% of UCLA students are born outside the U.S. Only 57% consider English to be their original language, while 44% first learned another language. 44% have neither parent born in the U.S. 38% consider themselves to be middle class, and 21% identify themselves as coming from the working class. The major funding for eligible students are Pell Grants, and the present maximum income allowed for a family of four is $60,000. This of course also varies with the number of children in the family. 35% of entering freshman receive some type of Pell Grant. UCLA is rated # 2 in the country in assisting freshman financially. 90% will eventually graduate, with 54% completing their studies in four years. In fall 2006, 4,600 freshmen are expected to enroll.
Q&A – YOE, How many are admitted with Junior standing? They have 13,000 applications, and about 5,100 are admitted. DONN CONNER, Do you have a National Data Base comparing admissions? No. TONY MARRONE, How much are annual admission fees? California Residents are $8,000, with out-of-state costing $30,000. SLOSS VIAU, What is the breakdown between men and women? It has remained steady the last few years at 55% female and 45% male. CLAWSON BLEAK, Are football players under the same entry requirements? Dr. Tram doesn’t make those decisions, nor does he evaluate other special students – musicians, for example. They go to a Faculty Committee. PP HOWIE HENKES, Isn’t it true that special entry students have to compete with all other students? Yes, and they can be taken with the strong expectation that they will be able to graduate. PP MIKE NEWMAN, What are the percentages of graduation beyond four years? 50% need five years, and the national average is 6.5 to 7 years. Among public schools, The University of Virginia has the best average graduation rate in four years, and UCLA is second. GEORGE COX, What factors are taken into account in seeking diversity among entering students? Race can no longer be a factor, but parents who did not attend college help the student get accepted. ED GAULD, What are the requirements for transfer students entering as Juniors? Those coming from California Community Colleges need 60 units of college work, plus a 3.5 GPA. RAY ZICKFELD, Does controversy continue about SAT scores? Yes, and the debate on GPA also is a factor. Dr. Vu Tram, thank you for a most thorough review of the policies and problems of selecting students for UCLA.
President DON’S thought to ponder: Be nice to your kids – they will be choosing your nursing home.
