wong fu makes headlines

Online videos have changed the landscape of the film industry and Wesley Chan, Ted Fu and Phillip Wang are living proof. The three UC San Diego alums met in a 2004 visual arts class and started first making movies together “just for fun.” Now their films, which include the You Tube cult favorite Yellow Fever, collectively have more than 10 million views on the website.

Now their Wong Fu Productions Web site gets 5,000 hits a day from loyal fans who come to view their frequently updated collection of free short films.

Their success was recently highlighted in this Associated Press story.

new eco-friendly dorms

On Friday, Aug. 28, UC San Diego unveiled its newest housing facility, “The Village,” a huge 1,000-bed project for transfer students that is tracking LEED silver certification. The facility features drought-tolerant, bio-swale landscaping, “hydration stations” that eliminate the need for disposable water bottles, natural free air-flow ventilation and radiators heated by hot water. Granite counter tops are used in place of laminate for a long-term gain, and steel stairs replace carpeting in the eco-friendly buildings.

The new housing also features rooms designed by six teams of interior design students from the Design Institute of San Diego. The themes of the specially designed rooms range from surfing to Paris-chic.

Green Meals

The lunchrooms at UC San Diego are about to get greener and it's not just because of the lettuce. The campus’s Housing, Dining, and Hospitality division will offer cage-free eggs; fair trade coffee, tea, and sugar; organic food and; locally grown fruits and veggies in its dining halls and markets.

Student groups have supported the availability of cage-free eggs, fair trade, and organic foods, a trend that reflects a larger national and international movement for an alternative food system, according to Jeff Haydu, professor of sociology at UC San Diego. “People increasingly believe that they can advance political or social justice goals through their choices as consumers rather than, or in addition to, more conventional political action,” Haydu said. “There is something very appealing about the idea that you can make a difference simply by buying this and not that. Some say, ‘change the world one bite at a time.’”

Dining locations on campus will soon begin regularly featuring locally gown, organic farmer’s markets where students will have the opportunity to buy produce directly from local food businesses :)