Dear Editor,

As a second year at UCSD, I think about my freshman year and can’t help but wonder what difference it would have made if I skipped that late night party, wouldn’t have gone home every other weekend, not joined a sorority… etc. Every choice has a unique outcome. Even though I made some that I regret, there are many more that I would never change. As freshmen in huge campus universities such as UCSD, many students feel they have a chance for a fresh start. My first year at UCSD was trying out my new-found freedom, making errors and learning from my experiences. What I would change are the sleepless nights trying to finish essays due the next morning — I passed, but barely! I would also not go back home as often, since it was getting in the way of concentrating on important assignments. As there are some things I would change, there are more I would never regret, such as getting involved in organizations that helped me expand socially and offered support. It’s important that new students get involved in the campus community in order to adjust to the new environment and not feel alone in a new place. As new students enter, they will see that there is so much being offered that it doesn’t hurt to look into different organizations and clubs to see what is best for them. I found that joining a sorority was the best for me, but explore all options available and see what suits you best. I wish somebody would have given me this advice earlier, making my first year easier and more error-free, however, I guess that is just part of the college experience. As a first year, be curious, not afraid of getting involved, meeting new people, don’t procrastinate and study (real studying). But most significantly, the confidence to thrive in a university environment.

— Kimberly Garcia

Sophomore, Marshall College

Last spring, after hazily stumbling out of my last final dazed and confused with a serious Red Bull hangover, I was more than ready for summer. I had serious plans to hit the beach by day, party by night, and become very friendly with the La Jolla P.D. — just kidding, maybe.

By the end of the summer I had made it to the beach a grand total of one time, thankfully the LJPD still have no idea who I am and if by “party,” you mean watching a combination of the Food Network and Comedy Central until 4 a.m., then I definitely “partied” hard.

As the school year loomed closer and closer, I realized that going to bed at 4 a.m. and sleeping until 1 p.m. the next afternoon just wasn’t going to fly anymore. I was no longer a freshman. It was time to grow up. Maybe I didn’t have to buy a briefcase or wear a power suit to work just yet, but mature adults have to at least be up in time for the McDonald’s breakfast menu. Thus began my long and arduous crusade to go to bed by 9 p.m.

Unfortunately, move-in day wasn’t the best choice to wage this particular war. After unpacking box after box of clothes, old posters and my childhood teddy bears — shut up, yes, they still sleep in my bed — from my tiny, two-door roadster, I wasn’t able to crawl into bed until 2 a.m.

The next night I was determined to hit the hay by 9 p.m., and this time I was more successful — barely. After a visit to the AT&T store, my roommate and I received some of the worst news college students could hear: there weren’t any technicians available to install Internet until the following Wednesday. With no Facebook, e-mail, or access to Nic Cage films via Netflix, I had nothing to do but call it an early night — though I still found ways to postpone my date with Sandman until 11:30 p.m.

At 9 a.m. the next morning I joined my friends in fliering on Library Walk. And while my friends were groggy after a late night of debauchery — and Internet — for once I hadn’t forced myself out of bed at the last possible moment, clinging desperately to what extra minutes of sleep I could catch. It was a wonderful change to be able to cook breakfast (using the word “cook” loosely), straighten my hair, and jam out to Tay-Swift before heading out the door.

That night was the closest to 9 p.m. I would get over the course of the next two weeks.

I tried. I really did.

On those rare nights when my head managed to hit the pillow before 2 a.m., all I could do was toss and turn and wonder how so many bros could possibly live in my apartment complex and want to race shopping carts up and down the street at 1:30 a.m.

Despite the one morning of waking up refreshed to the welcome sound of birds chirping, I’ve accepted that I’m 19 — not 90 — and I might as well take advantage of the years standing between me and a Denny’s senior early-bird special. And while I value sleep as much as the next overbooked-over caffeinated-college student, I wouldn’t trade in late-night reruns of the Biggest Loser for anything.

It’s happened, folks. The administration is making yet another decision that will affect student life — and, more importantly, student pocketbooks — but this time, they’re waiting on your input.

Now that Transportation and Parking Services Director Brian d’Autremont has A.S. Council to blame for the failure of last year’s Transportation Referendum — which would have made every student shell out $25 this year to float our sinking shuttles — and a thumbs-up from the Transportation Policy Committee on the parking permit fee increases, he has no conceivable reason to dilly dally. Why wait when you can dig yourself out of debt today? Yet, he has postponed the increase for an entire summer, ostensibly so that he can hear from the students.

This is our chance.

Administration and A.S. Council alike make a lot of noise about approaching students for their input, but rarely has there been any evidence to suggest that they’re acting on it. The fact that the TPC is twiddling its thumbs while waiting for students to get to campus offers the tenuous hope that maybe, this time, it’s for real.

Don’t play with our heart, TPC — you know we’ve been hurt before.

Of course, students have a notorious track record of doing absolutely nothing, even when the decision in question makes a drastic impact on their lives. Or, worse, a cause picks up a number of ardent supporters, who then quietly drop the ball when it comes to the follow-through (Cancer Cluster protesters of rallies past, we’re looking at you).

For anyone who was paying any kind of attention to last year’s protests — even those who limited themselves to vaguely disgruntled glances when forced to reroute their habitual walk to Center Hall — we’re going to run a line by you to see if it rings any bells:

“I see hurt. I see disempowerment. I see anger. Things border on hate speech and hate crime, and we are the voices of resistance.”

Sound familiar? It should — if you were a student here five years ago, when the chair of the Student Affirmative Action Committee said the above at a 2005 rally protesting against an oppressive campus climate and, shocker, the Koala. If you’re not rocking your 18th quarter as a sixth-year senior, however, that rhetoric probably sounded brand-new when shouted across the quad in reaction to last year’s Compton Cookout and subsequent brouhaha.

The determining factor in whether last spring’s show of strength and solidarity actually carries over into a reality this year — or follows its predecessor’s footsteps into the dusty pages of undisturbed archive rooms — is if students can remember to pay attention after the fact.

Too often does an issue get sidelined by finals or a quarter break, also known as a student-interest death knell. Library Walk was whipped into an epic frenzy by the events surrounding the Compton Cookout, but the second those organic chemistry finals reared their ugly heads, the campus fell eerily silent. Protesters retreated to their textbooks, bystanders once again.

The fact that students are so easily distracted allows things like last May’s increase in mandatory dining dollars to slip under the radar. On-campus students this are now, on average, forking out an extra $87 a year for their meal plans, and only a handful of college council members can tell you why.

Though the dining dollar increase is over and done with, many of the other issues that came into the public consciousness at the tail end of last year will no doubt continue their saga into 2011.

The death of the Transportation Referendum is coming back to haunt us in the form of higher costs for parking permits and weekend parking fees, unless A.S. Council and Parking and Transportation Services agree to head to couples’ therapy and give their unlikely marriage another shot. The Israel-Palestinian argument (culminating in the “UCSD Divestment for Peace” bill) takes place like clockwork each spring, when Tritons for Israel and Students for Justice in Palestine each put their respective funding to use in broadcasting their unapologetic — and conflicting — messages.

The Kumeyaay remains have yet to be repatriated, and even though the Grove has gone the way of the dodo, you can bet your finest fair-trade coffee that the co-operatives are going to make some noise over their rent re-negotiation this year.

Most controversially, the Black Student Union’s list of 32 demands — which include more faculty of color, an increase in S.P.A.C.E.S. funding, and almost Biblical levels of outreach — will either fizzle or flourish, depending on whether students remember to hold the administration to last year’s promises. And let’s not forget that media funding might also get a second chance in the limelight, as the Koala is honor-bound to do something degenerate at first opportunity.

The danger lies in letting these issues slide in favor of the immediate crisis of an anthropology paper. The classic problem of any university is the lack of institutional memory; with all of us gone in a quick four years, anything that happened before might as well not have existed.

D’Autremont is handing out the first opportunity of Fall Quarter to break the cycle. Instead of following the silent footsteps of last year (and the year before...and the year before that), students need to take the time to make their voices heard on issues that affect them in the day-to-day. Let the man know that you value your Arriba shuttle stop, your free weekend parking, or the extra $25 in your wallet that you intend to blow on a new pair of shoes.

Sending one e-mail isn’t much, but it’s a start; paying attention to a cause where the administration seems willing to actually listen to students can open the door to all kinds of future communication. More importantly, it could be the start of people remembering to keep their eyes on the developments taking place around them, instead of starting each Fall Quarter from scratch.

Drop Out While You’re Still Ahead

A 2006 District of Columbia court case ruled that cigarette companies were guilty of hiding their product’s dangers, and that they had to publicize those effects in the media. The industry is now appealing the decision.

But several courts have upheld the original ruling, and there’s a slim chance the Supreme Court will rule differently.

Lawyers representing the tobacco industry are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Their choices? Either settle in court and report the dangers of their clients’ deadly products or continue fighting the government, take their case to the Supreme Court and possibly lose billions. Industry lawyers have hinted they may stop fighting.

Good call.

Everyone’s most hated suits would be devastated if they lost the case and had to shell out $200 billion to the government — but that wouldn’t necessarily make anyone more aware of the dangers of tobacco.

Cigarette companies are among the most vilified of businesses, but they’re still an industry (almost) like any other; they provide invaluable jobs and livelihoods. Cigarette corporations should certainly own up to past failures, but for the industry today to take such a huge blow for mistakes made half a century ago would be unfairly damaging to all those who now rely on our tobacco addiction to make a living.

— Angela Chen

Senior Staff Writer

Yeah, So Smoking Is Bad

No matter who is responsible for funding yet another public-awareness tobacco-kills campaign, both should be aware they’ll have to get damn crafty to earn a second glance.

Although tobacco giants have been convicted of hiding the dangers of their product for decades, the days of workplace ashtrays and high-school smoke pits are well behind us, and it’s not much of a secret anymore that smoking kills. The token foreboding image of an old woman sliding a cigarette into the circular cut-out in her throat has lost most of its shock value, and there’ve been enough viral campaigns and prohibitive state laws to ensure no one’s in the dark.

Targeting young, impressionable children and adolescents through television advertisements and public school programs may well still be worth the effort. But at the end of the day, a campaign’s only as good as its audience is receptive — and the continued popularity of cigarettes suggests we’re not as open-eared as the government might like.

— Trevor Cox

Opinion Editor

Industry Men Should Pony Up

Industries that cheat consumers out of their money are common — we do live in America, after all. But those which have historically swindled millions of buyers out of their lives shouldn’t get off the hook without appropriate financial retribution.

Despite the fact that tobacco companies have been supplying people with jobs, the history of false advertisements on which the entire industry thrives justifies a government-catalyzed setback.

The economy may be in shambles, but we should still hang onto some scrap of human dignity, and realize that tobacco breadwinners are about as innocent and deserving of their profits as a crack-dealing neighbor who sells to anyone and everyone. It’s about time these fat cats hung their heads, reached into their pockets and humbly funded a government-sponsored anti-smoking campaign. And they better like it.

— Kelsey Marrujo

Senior Staff Writer

Dear Editor,

As reported in the Jan. 14 article “Haitian Capital Hit Hard by Quake,” a resolution proposing a $5,000 donation by the A.S. Council to fund relief efforts in poverty-stricken and devastated Haiti failed to pass. This was not because the A.S. Council did not have the money, but because the majority of the governing body thought it would create a dangerous precedence that would overturn standing rules on giving student fees and funds to a country so desperately in need of such aid.

The council debated the issue for a little over an hour, quibbling about whether giving such an amount of money was within the council’s rules. What appalled me the most was that my fellow councilmembers, educated and knowledgeable representatives who decide on and know the student body’s best interests, could sit there and argue over giving immediate aid to alleviate the suffering of their brothers and sisters in Haiti. Imagine if members of Congress quibbled over the legality of giving federal money to fund relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, only to issue a press release stating that they stand in solidarity with the victims of the hurricane.

If members of the council were keen on actually representing the student body’s best interests, they would have approved the resolution without hesitation, as opposed to merely standing in solidarity with the victims of the earthquake. Quite simply, my fellow councilmembers failed to take into account the brevity of the situation in Haiti. With over 50,000 people dead in a country essentially forsaken by most developed countries, my fellow councilmembers failed to take into account the human factor. They had the power to amend such standing rules, but they felt that violating the rules was a much more serious and pressing issue than sending the best form of aid available to a country reeling from the aftershocks of the earthquake and extreme poverty.

It begs the question, where are the council’s priorities? Certainly not in alleviating the suffering of Haiti’s denizens. Such a disconnect from the tragedy and horrors of a natural disaster only reveals the council’s callousness and lack of concern for anything that is perceived as not germane to student affairs at UCSD.

I understand that rules and laws must be followed in order to establish precedence and prevent chaos from reigning. But such man-made laws must be disobeyed in order to adhere to the higher law commanding us to be our brother’s keeper, to be responsible for securing the general welfare of all — especially those in dire need. Never have I seen such a casual disregard for the welfare of one’s fellow human. It seems that Haiti has already been forsaken and forgotten by the Associated Students of UCSD.

— Victor Lin

A.S. Physical Sciences Senator

MEN’S BASKETBALL — After a disappointing 62-66 loss against Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday night, the UCSD men’s basketball team looked to redeem itself against San Francisco State on Saturday. After 50 minutes of gut-wrenching battle, the Tritons pulled off a double-overtime victory against the Gators.

With six seconds left in the first overtime, junior guard Casey Ryan nailed a clutch three-pointer, carrying the Tritons into double overtime. UCSD then carried his momentum to seal the victory 91-86.

Four Tritons scored in the double-digits, senior guard Jordan Lawley leading the way with a season-best 31 points. Sophomore center Christian Hatch bested her previous career high, scoring 16 points and sinking eight of nine shots from the floor. Ryan scored 12 points — including the last-second three — and senior guard Tyler Acevedo hit three triples in the game, finishing with 10 points.

“Our competition level was there all [throughout the] game,” head coach Chris Carlson said. “The payoff was there — because we worked so hard to get to that point and compete at such a high level — and to have the win top it off was good. We improved tonight, and that’s a huge thing for us right now.”

[caption id="attachment_14537" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Daniel Caddell/Guardian"][/caption]

After jumping out the gates to a 22-11 start, the Tritons slowed a bit and let the Gators go for a 13-3 run. And at 49-47, with nine minutes left in the second half, the game was still up for grabs.

The Gators gained momentum after taking a 51-49 lead, but Acevedo quickly answered back by netting a shot from outside the arc to put the Tritons back on top.

Lawley hit a crucial three-pointer to give the Tritons a 62-60 advantage with three minutes left in play. With 10 seconds to go, the Gators — who were down 65-68 — called a timeout. Soon after, San Francisco State tied the game 65-65, forcing an overtime period.

“We talked yesterday about pulling together a 40-minute game and the guys really did that,” said Lawley. “We all busted our butts out there and came out and proved that we wanted it.”

The Gators carried their late momentum into overtime, taking the lead by as much as 76-70. Sophomore guard Jay Wey was the game’s unsung hero. He netted two critical three-pointers with one minute on the clock. Down 76-73 with six seconds left, Ryan seized the moment with a timely three-pointer to tie the game and force it into double overtime.

“Every single one of us on the court has the capability of making that shot,” Lawley said. “Casey didn’t really have a look, but he threw it up and the prayer went in, so you just have to be thankful for it — and we capitalized on it.”

The Tritons took the late momentum and never looked back. Lawley nailed some critical free throws down the stretch to give the Tritons a hard-fought 91-86 win.

“It shows what type of competitive high we can reach,” Carlson said. “If we do the things we’ve talked about on a consistent basis, we can be a tough out. There are still a lot of things we can improve on, and that’s really the biggest thing we’re trying to do: maintain an atmosphere where everyone can improve individually and collectively.”

The win over the Gators followed a devastating loss at RIMAC Arena against Cal State Monterey Bay last Thursday, Jan. 14. Trailing by as many as 12 points, UCSD came back to take a 55-53 lead with five minutes left to play. However, the men were unable to complete their comeback bid, and lost 62-66.

UCSD is back on the road next week to take on the Humboldt State Lumberjacks on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Readers can contact Cameron Tillisch at [email protected].

SWIMMING & DIVING — After competing in two meets last weekend, the UCSD women’s swim team defeated Division-I crosstown rival University of San Diego for the ninth time in a row on Saturday, Jan. 16. The Tritons took 11 of the 16 events in close calls and touch-out wins.

In the end, the Tritons defeated the Toreros 168.5-130.5 at Canyonview Pool this past weekend. Senior captain Cari Cunningham looks forward to improving times before the conference championship meet next February.

“The girls were really pumped before the meet,” Cunningham said. “We had eight straight victories, and we really wanted to make it nine. I really wanted to finish undefeated against them in my senior year. You could see it in our swimming — we just wanted it.”

In light of the dive meet results from Thursday, Jan. 14, Junior captain Anju Shimura stressed the importance of a strong start.

“We came into the meet 26 points behind after the dive meet Thursday,” Shimura said. “We definitely caught up quickly with all the relays in the first event.”

The day began with a half-second win for the UCSD 200-yard medley relay team — Shimura, sophomore Mercedes O’Brien, junior Jessica Ferguson and freshman Katherine Tse — with a time of 1:48.11.

Sophomore Alex Henley led the Tritons by winning the 200-yard freestyle (1:52.89), the 200-yard backstroke (2:04.45) and the 200-yard individual medley (2:09.13).

Shimura (100-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke) and freshman Beth Dong (500-yard freestyle, 1,000-yard freestyle) both won two events for the Tritons.

“We started off the meet really strong,” Cunningham said. “It was definitely what we needed to get going.”

Both teams fought bitterly for advantage in a close race, with winners edging ahead by mere hundredths of seconds on several occasions.

“Everyone swam really well today, and there were a lot of touch-outs where we won in the very last second,” Shimura said. “It was really exciting, but nerve-wracking at the same time.”

In the 200-yard freestyle, Henley won by two-hundredths of a second, O’Brien lost the 100-yard breaststroke by two-tenths of a second, freshman Amber Tan dropped the 50-yard freestyle by three-hundredths of a second and Shimura won the 100-yard freestyle by half a second. It was an incredibly close day, but the Tritons overcame their injuries to claim victory in more close races than not.

The best race for UCSD was the 200-yard butterfly: The Tritons took all three top spots, led by senior Karla Holman’s time of 2:09.70. In their last race, the 400-yard freestyle relay — Shimura, Tan, Tse and Ferguson — won with a time of 3:30.65.

“There is definitely more preparation going into the meet against an in-city rival,” Shimura said. “Before the meet we had a motivational speech from [head coach] Scott [McGihon], and that pumped us up.”

The Tritons are back in action next weekend at Canyonview Pool for their last home meet of the year, which will be against California Baptist University.

It will be senior day — the last chance for many Triton swimmers to swim at their home pool before the final championship races.

“I want to have fun with it next week,” Cunningham said. “I just want to enjoy my last meet at home and be with the team. But season-best times would be great.”

Readers can contact Tyler Nelson at [email protected].

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL — As the UCSD women’s basketball team continues on its winning streak, the Tritons are quickly establishing themselves as the preeminent contender for the California Collegiate Athletic Association title.

The team defeated San Francisco State by a score of 74-61 on Saturday night, extending its season-long streak to 14 games. Sophomore guard Chelsea Carlisle led the way, scoring a game-high 17 points and dishing five assists. Senior forward Erin Noonan scored a season-high 11 points and senior guard Annette Ilg tacked on 10 points for the Tritons.

The Gators came out fast, shooting well from the field, for an early 14-6 lead after two consecutive three-pointers. However, Triton defenders forced several turnovers that let them back into the game. UCSD took its first lead with 11:22 left in the first half, after Carlisle received a kick-out pass from senior guard Leilani Martin and knocked down a three — despite being fouled in the process. She then converted the free throw into a four-point play.

The give-and-take of the first half was reflected in the score: The teams went into halftime tied at 32.

“Every team is going to have their best game against us, and they are going to be emotionally high,” junior forward Tiffany Hunter said.

This was the first time in four games that the Tritons did not have the lead at halftime. But head coach Charity Elliot said she refused to panic.

“Our mentality every game is to remain poised and calm,” Elliot said. “So even when teams come out and jump out to a lead, we talk about being steady and just doing what we need to do.”

The Tritons came out of the locker room with new found intensity and took the lead with an Erin Noonan bucket at the 17:54 mark — a lead they would not relinquish. San Francisco State, however, tried to stay in the game with tough work on the glass, out-rebounding the Tritons 38-32 and creating nine second-chance points in the second half.

The Gators cut the lead to nine after a three-pointer by Andrea Ohlssen with 5:09 remaining. Ilg answered back with a three of her own, and the Tritons kept a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest.

The game against CSUSF capped off a four-game home stand in which the Tritons defeated their opposition by an average of 16 points. The win improved the Triton season record to 14 unbeaten, 9-0 in conference play, right on the heels of a close 68-63 win over Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday Jan 14.

The Tritons survived a furious second-half comeback against the Otters. UCSD took a seemingly comfortable 35-20 lead into halftime, but a feisty CSUMB refused to go away. The Otters poured in seven second-half three-pointers and shot 45 percent from the field, cutting the lead to one point with 2:15 remaining. However, UCSD never surrendered the lead, making all their free throws down the stretch for the win.

The Tritons were paced by sophomore Chelsea Carlisle, who scored a game-high 20 points — including nine of the team’s final 11 points.

The close game against CSUMB followed two routine victories. Head coach Elliott said she was able to see the positives of withstanding the comeback.

“I remind the team daily: It’s a process. And right now, we are still not as good as we need to be,” she said. “It reminds us that we have a lot of work to do.”

The Tritons will take a two-game road trip this week, with a matchup on Thursday at Humboldt State, followed by a game on Saturday at Sonoma State.

Readers can contact Liam Rose at [email protected].

[caption id="attachment_14528" align="alignleft" width="185" caption="John Hanacek/Guardian"][/caption]

Athletes and administrators joined forces last Friday, Jan. 15 in the Green Room at RIMAC Arena to donate their blood at the UC San Diego Athletic Department’s 10th annual blood drive.

The event, hosted in conjunction with the American Red Cross, was organized by the Triton Athletes Council — a forum of student-athlete representatives from UCSD’s 23 sports teams — as a part of its community service initiatives.

Senior Associate Athletic Director Ken Grosse collaborated with the TAC. He said the event demonstrates the athletics department’s commitment to excellence on and off the field.

“We’re completely focused on successfully competing on the court and in the field,” Grosse said. “However, equally important to us is success in the community.”

According to Grosse, the blood drive is the largest on campus, and has also been named the No. 1 Southern California University donator by the Red Cross for three consecutive years. This year’s drive yielded 128 usable units — a 13-unit improvement over last year’s.

According to Grosse, approximately two-thirds of donations generally come from student-athletes. Over the course of the afternoon, different teams came in together to make their contributions.

Though nervous about giving blood for the first time, Robert Sedin, a senior center fielder on the UCSD baseball team, said he was happy to contribute to an important cause.

“Every one of us makes a difference” Sedin said. “People everywhere need blood, and when all the athletes get together, it’s really special.”

However, Sedin said he was apprehensive about the procedure.

“I have personally never given blood, and am a little scared,” he said. “The thought of losing blood is creepy — I hope I don’t pass out.”

The blood drive, which was open to the general public, attracted many faculty members and alumni.

Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Penny Rue, one of the faculty blood benefactors, spoke nostalgically about her first time at a blood drive.

“The first time I gave blood was as a freshmen in college, because there was an on-campus blood drive,” Rue said. “I have been donating blood ever since”.

Rue stressed that giving blood now will help Red Cross in its earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.

“Right now is especially important for the Red Cross,” she said. “This is a great opportunity for the Athletics Department to foster competition between athletes towards a greater goal.”

Juanita Lake, team supervisor for the Red Cross, shared enthusiasm for the event.

“What a lot of people don’t know is that one in three people is in need of donated blood,” Lake said. “In San Diego, only 3 percent of the population donates blood, so UCSD is definitely doing their part in trying to raise awareness.”

Readers can contact Vishal Natarajan at [email protected].

Lest any Gaslamp District newbies get the wrong impression, let’s get the disclaimer out of the way: Voyeur is a nightclub. As such, expect the staples of any fine downtown-SD establishment: weak, expensive drinks; rude, aloof bouncers and $20 no-list cover on a normal night ($40 for well-known talent, a la the MstrKrft and LA Riots show).

Despite its predictable club swag, Voyeur is a smart destination for Restaurant Week — an annual event during which over 180 San Diego restaurants offer three-course pre-set menus for $20, $30 or $40. Make a dinner reservation for later in the evening and stay for the club: You’ll get three dishes for 20 bucks, and you won’t have to pay for cover. Choose from most of the options on its tapas-style menu — including the duck-confit tamales, lamb pops and banana fritters — then dance all the calories off.

As a relatively new venue, Voyeur has yet to develop a pigeonholed set of patrons (despite bumping electro and house music on regular rotation, and donning uber-hip goth-inspired decor). The crowd is hit-or-miss depending on who you are and who you’re looking for: On any given evening, you might find yourself getting crept on by Ed Hardy douche bags, stepped on by pompadoured sisters in low-cut minidresses and out-danced by arm-flailing hipsters with dilated pupils.

If you’re going dilated, take some time to trip out on the impressive L.E.D. wall — including go-go dancers gyrating inside of it on prime nights. San Diego Restaurant Week only lasts from Jan. 17 to Jan. 22, but Voyeur’s 3-for-$20 deal will be available through the end of the month.

[caption id="attachment_14524" align="alignleft" width="201" caption="Complete with go-go dancers and L.E.D. lights from Daft Punk paradise, Voyeur transform itself every evening into a goth-glam den (Jessica Hsu/Guardian)."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_14518" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Erik Jepsen/Guardian "][/caption]

This weekend, video gamers from across SoCal and the darkest corners of our six-college sprawl gathered at the sixth annual Winter Game Fest: a video-game tournament chocked with 48 consoles, 72 television screens and 12 projectors; from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday through Sunday.

At this year’s event, the tournament added new games such as Super Smash Bros. Melee, Madden 2010 and Call of Duty 4 to its menu of competitions, while staples from last year — including Guitar Hero, Starcraft and Halo 3 — stuck around.

Aside from getting in on tournament action — which included separate competitions for each video game — participants also played on older consoles like Nintendo and Sega Genesis, basking in game-inspired art adorning the walls of the Price Center Ballrooms.

With approximately $5,000 in cash prizes, this year’s fest attracted over 1,000 sets of the fastest fingers on the West Coast.

[caption id="attachment_14514" align="alignleft" width="300" caption=" Haitan student John Compere spoke in front of Geisel Library to raise awareness and relief money for the victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake."][/caption]

In the aftermath of the 7.0 quake that has already claimed an estimated 200,000 lives in Haiti, a new coalition of UCSD students is focusing on how it can help those still alive.

On Wednesday, Jan. 13 — while the fault lines running under Port-au Prince trembled in aftershock — Muir College senior Kenny Pettersen created a Facebook event for a glowstick vigil (to be held the following evening) and planned to fundraise from a booth on Library Walk for the rest of the week.

“I got tired of watching things on the news, and realized that there are a lot of resources here at UCSD, and a lot of students that have different gifts,” Pettersen said.

By Thursday night, Pettersen had accumulated 1,400 Facebook followers and raised over $3,000.

“It’s been amazing how well the school’s responded to everything,” said Pettersen.

For now, the network is mainly operating as a Facebook group (with 568 members as of Monday night), but Pettersen said this Tuesday’s meeting will possibly decide the group’s future (as an official student organization) as well as facilitate new fundraising ideas.

[caption id="attachment_14515" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Glowsticks replaced candles at a vigil held on the night of the natural disaster."][/caption]

“There’s going to be help needed for many, many years to come,” Pettersen said. “At least for the rest of the school year, we’re going to be doing as much as possible to get students involved.”

Though the nearly $5,500 the network has collected so far will be going to the American Red Cross, many members are eager to discuss other options for long-term development in the country — not just emergency relief. The destruction that stretched out from the earthquake’s epicenter has decimated much of the country’s infrastructure; collapsing countless homes, hospitals, businesses and government buildings.

“From my experience, Haiti has needed a lot of long-term development even before the earthquake,” Pettersen said. “And now with the earthquake, it has created so many more issues.”

This past July, Pettersen took his seventh medical trip to Haiti. Though he plans to attend medical school in the fall, he said hopes that the student group can continue to help the Caribbean country under new leadership.

The UCSD Haiti Earthquake Response Network will hold its first meeting at 7 p.m. on Jan. 19 in Conference Room 513 of the Student Services Center.