Given that this campus is widely recognized for its
rigorous, broadly based curricula, its accelerating rigidity in freshman
selection and its continuous climb up the ladder in academic quality rankings,
the A.S. Council should rally around a singular identity that has seemingly
eluded the UCSD student body for so long.

What UCSD needs is an identity focused on its commitment to
produce the hardest working, most intellectually stimulated and most confident
graduating body that the UC system has to offer.

The A.S. Council must first work to promote such an
identity. UCSD should become the CalTech of the UC system.

In turn, developing such an image takes time. Yet, UCSD is
already considered to be a top national contributor to important bodies of
research, and is on par academically with UC Berkeley and UCLA. Additionally,
the title “UCSD” increasingly conjures up images of a rigorous, pragmatic and
distraction-lacking academic experience. To emphasize and reinforce the notion
that students should feel proud and privileged to be a Triton, the A.S. Council
needs to maintain a stringent fund allocation requirement in order to ensure
that research-oriented, potentially nationally competitive clubs receive more
funding. The incoming council should also consider processes targeted toward
garnering more media attention by lobbying to host recognized academic
conventions, which would provide an excellent basis for marketing efforts.

The importance of a school identity is undeniable. Promoting
a common, recognizable and enviable identity may be just the ticket.