Are you hungry? I¹m hungry. Seventh week always makes me hungry. And not just for food, though a good vegan bean and rice burrito hits the spot. I¹m hungry for the joyously neat things that only UCSD can offer.

Maybe you¹re scratching your head in befuddlement. ³Cool stuff at UCSD? Not under this suppressive administration.² Maybe those aren¹t your exact words, but we all know the apathetic sentiments that threaten to drown any voice of fun around here.

In a series of four columns over these last four weeks of the quarter, I¹m going to call on all of you to help me resuscitate the life of this school. You may know me from previous columns, such as ³The Top 10 Things You Have to Do While At UCSD,² or from one of my various Get-Fun-Quick-Schemes, such as dodge ball in front of Center Hall. I¹m perpetually hungry for excitement and entertainment.

First things first, do me this favor: Get informed and involved with the new fee initiatives. Note the plural. Maybe you voted against the Student Leeching Fee Referendum because you hate sports, or you despise the Price Center, or you want Division II funds and a new mall on campus but none of that social services junk. Or maybe you voted for Joe Watson and Tommy Tucker¹s Price Center Expansion, pork barrel and all, because you¹re in favor of all of the above. Get involved.

Committees are convening, groups are gathering, and if you don¹t show up to share your views, someone¹s going to claim to be speaking for you. Maybe me. You have no idea how exciting it is to stand up at one of these meetings and pretend to be speaking for hundreds. When I¹m hungry for that special public speaking buzz, nothing else hits the spot.

But I¹m also hungry for justice, and for socially progressive viewpoints and for the kind of nutty ³We can change the world² optimism that filled the Price Center when Ozomatli came by. There¹s only one place on campus offering that on a regular basis, and its the Ché Café.

Sure you¹ve heard of the Che´´ before. You¹ve passed it on the shuttle; its that ramshackle building with faces painted on it, down the hill from Stonehenge. You¹ve heard how it¹s the last all-ages music venue in San Diego, where hundreds of kids party every couple of days … wait a minute … hundreds of kids … every couple of days? Even Greek freaks can¹t keep up that kind of pace!

The Chégans can. They¹ve been known to put on four, five and one-in-an-activist-moon six shows a week. Local and touring bands play punk, hip-hop, acoustic, grindcore and everything else you can shake an et cetera at. Call 534-2311 for details.

But let¹s not forget about food. Tuesday and Thursday nights, two dollars gets you a plate of delicious nutrition, without any mad cow or other animal byproducts. Four dollars gets you the All-You-Can-Eat magic, complete with as much protein/yeast powder (tastes like parmesan) as you can handle! Call 534-2311 for details.

If partying, dancing and eating aren¹t really your thing, how about politics? The Che´´ is home to lots of dynamic activist groups, people working to feed the homeless, save the environment, legalize ganja and keep your student fees down. That¹s right, the Che´´ and other co-ops were major centers of organization for the opposition of the Student Leeching Fee Referendum y¹all just voted down. Call 534-2311 for details.

Do I remind you of a drunk fella trying to ply you with a phone number? I¹ll make it easier. Get on the Campus Loop Shuttle. Tell the driver to let you off at the Che´´. Directions don¹t get any more user friendly than that. Or, you could call 534-2311 for details.

If you like hands-on pragmatic work and want the fast track to getting involved with any of the above, make some time this weekend to help out with the Che´´ Garden Collective. They¹ve got grasses and weeds and crops galore, more than they know what to do with. You can help them decide. It¹ll definitely make the world a better place. Call 534-2311 for details.

Speaking of making the world a better place, I¹ll be back next week with more unsolicited advice on how to spend your time at our fine university. Until then, do me this favor.