A Difference of Opinion: What UCLA’s wasted $213 million could have been used for | Daily Bruin

追加: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]I'm Sierra with The Daily Bruin, and here's a difference of opinion on [music] what UCLA could have spent the 213 million it wasted on a failed Ascent project.

[00:00:09]>> [music] >> Our campus is 418 acres with numerous hills, steep staircases, and perpetually broken [music] elevators. But with 213 million dollars, UCLA could implement a solution for the ages. Say it with me, hoverboards. [music] There's no excuse for a 213 million-dollar failed IT project. If UCLA was going to invest in futuristic [music] technology, it should have at least done something sci-fi.

[00:00:31]With the 213 million UCLA spent [music] on the failed project Ascent, it could have instead built an entirely new library. While this library would not be as elaborate as Powell Library, [music] it would still provide a much-needed space for students to learn and collaborate. College [music] is stressful enough trying to cover costs to pay for tuition, housing, [music] textbooks, and to afford those coffees that are needed to get through long nights of study. But with 213 million dollars spent on a [music] failed IT project, UCLA could have alleviated that stress for tens of thousands of students. UCLA could have bought [music] them all health insurance.