Sara Randazzo ’08, bottom left, at the 2022 DBAN reunion.
As I started my senior year at UCLA in 2007, then-Student Media Director Arvli Ward called me into his office. He’d seen a website I had made for a class project about the Daily Bruin in the 1960s, featuring alumni interviews and clips from the bound archives. He asked if I’d want to try to restart an alumni network.
I agreed, which set me on a strange path of working parallel to the newsroom but technically on the “other side” of the wall in our windowless Kerckhoff office. As I began reaching out to alumni, I heard over and over some version of: “Sure, here’s my email address, but you’re the fourth person to try to organize DB alumni and all have failed.” I soldiered on, and even invited alumni to join the annual year-end -30- dinner. I was feeling pretty proud of myself for getting alumni to attend until we entered the final hours of -30- and the collective drunkenness of the students suddenly became mildly embarrassing to see through the eyes of our elders. I quickly ushered the alumni out to their cars and thanked them for coming.
I was disheartened when, the year after I graduated, Arvli decided not to staff anyone else on the alumni project. Once again, Daily Bruin alumni had been let down. A decade later, I was delighted to learn that Lawrence Ma ’95 and Tanner Walters ’18 were rallying alumni again. This time, the efforts stuck and the Daily Bruin Alumni Network, created in 2018, continues to grow.
I’m stepping off the DBAN board this summer to make room for new members, but I know that this time, DBAN is here to stay. It’s been a pleasure connecting with everyone through the newsletters for the past six years and I look forward to seeing the quarterly updates under the watch of new board member Laureen Lazarovici ’89. Read on to learn more about Laureen and other new faces.
Sara Randazzo ’08, on behalf of the Daily Bruin Alumni Network Board
Meet the Editor
Hi everyone, my name is Lex Wang and I am the 2024-25 Daily Bruin editor in chief! I was previously the 2022-23 Opinion editor and the 2023-24 Enterprise editor.
Since I joined the Daily Bruin in 2021, I have reported, written, edited and contributed across a number of sections. I don’t believe this to be a symptom of inconsistency – rather, I have always believed in the power of all types of journalism to be the record-keeper of our community's journey. Every piece we publish captures the pulse of campus life and represents the diverse voices of Bruins. As this year’s editor in chief, my mission is to continue preserving those narratives with accuracy and integrity, as well as maintaining the highest standards of journalistic values.
Although we may be students, those of us who have spent any amount of time at the paper, whether that’s one quarter or four years, know we are the people in the best positions to tell UCLA’s and Westwood’s stories. I trust in the judgment calls our staff makes on a daily basis and in the experience and empathy that will serve them well over the next year.
As someone who is deeply committed to ensuring the Daily Bruin prospers, I cannot tell you all how proud I am of having an extensive alumni network that has our back. I’m looking forward to seeing what our staff does this year, and I hope DBAN does as well.
Lex Wang
2024-25 Editor-in-Chief
Our Newest Board Members
We’re excited to welcome two new board members to our ranks. Interested in joining the DBAN board? Email President Connie Guglielmo at acmewriter@gmail.com.
Megan Tagami ’23 is an education reporter at Honolulu Civil Beat, where she covers K-12 education across Hawaii. Starting in the role last fall marked a return home for Megan, who was born and raised in Hawaii and came to Los Angeles for college. Megan found her passion for journalism as a news intern at the Daily Bruin. She worked as news reporter and content editor for PRIME during her three years at the Bruin. After graduating from UCLA in 2023 with a degree in political science and public affairs, Megan interned at The Wall Street Journal.
Laureen Lazarovici ’89 was the opinion editor at the Daily Bruin after being a reporter covering undergraduate student government and other campus happenings. Since that time, she’s been a writer and web content strategist for the Kaiser Permanente Labor Management Partnership, the communications director for a nurses union and has covered government, public policy and politics in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Washington, D.C.
Her work has also appeared in the anthologies Inside the L.A Riots and The CyberUnion Handbook, as well as in the L.A. Jewish Journal, California Teacher and The Mindfulness Bell.
Laureen will be starting graduate studies at California State University, Los Angeles, in August to prepare for a new career as a community college professor.
Cheers!
Half a dozen alumni gathered at a rooftop bar in Culver City in May from wide and far across the Los Angeles area. We caught up about jobs, lives, kids, the joys of home repairs and, of course, our favorite days in Westwood. If you’d like to organize a DBAN happy hour in your city, please let us know!
Evolution of Staff Stipends
We all know that no one joins the Daily Bruin for the money, but stipends have always served as part of the draw for those who dedicate so much of their college days to the paper. We pulled together a snapshot of stipends over the years, which shows the pay for student staffers has unfortunately declined, even more so when inflation is considered. Alumni from the 1980s, for instance, recalled stipends contributing significantly toward paying rent. Some of these numbers come from alumni memories, others from documentation. All reflect pay for a two-week period unless otherwise noted.
2021-2023:
Editor in chief - $252
Other editors - $84 to $240
$6.30 to $26.25 per individual assignment
2018-2021:
Editor in chief - $240
News editor - $190
Other editors - $80 to $230
$6 to $25 per individual assignment
2010s:
Editor in chief - $240 to $255
Section editors - $150 to $250
Assistant editors - $100 to $190
$8 per photo shoot
2008-2009:
Copy editors - $40-$200
Op-ed editor - $220
$20 per news story
Early 1980s:
Editor in chief - $225
News reporter - $110
1967-1967:
Senior Staff Writer - $30
The Daily Bruin is largely funded through the Communications Board. DBAN hopes to work with the student media advisor, advertising manager and Comm Board during the 2024-2025 school year to see if stipends can be adjusted. If you have ideas or would like to volunteer to work with the board on student fundraising and other financial issues, please let us know.
Class Notes
— Lee Goldberg '85 is out with “Dream Town,” the fifth novel in his acclaimed "Eve Ronin" series....and the Western Writers of America has announced that his standalone thriller CALICO is one of three finalists for the 2024 Spur Award for Best Contemporary Western. His next novel, “Ashes Never Lie,” will be released in September.
Eric Mandel '76 (1951-2024)
— In the hustle and bustle of the DB newsroom in the mid-’70s, dedicated staffer Eric Mandel could be counted on for two things: hard work and a kind word. Eric discovered The Bruin at the beginning of his junior year, bringing a keen interest in political and economic stories. In his senior year he served as a city editor. Working with him was a pleasure, as editing sessions often morphed into lively discussions of current events. He emerged from Kerckhoff Hall with lifelong friends.
After graduating, Eric wrote for a number of SoCal papers, including the Daily Breeze, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, and the Pasadena Star-News. Along the way he transitioned to sports reporting. Later he met the love of his life, Eva Plaza, an attorney who served as assistant secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Clinton Administration. Eric embraced Eva’s family as his own.
Eric enjoyed travel, especially in Latin America, and in winter gravitated to the mountains. An accomplished snow skier, Eric was planning his 2024 trip to Mammoth with several of his old DB buddies when suddenly he fell ill with what was diagnosed as an aggressive abdominal cancer. The morning of March 17, he passed away at home with wife Eva at his side. He had just turned 73. Rest in peace, friend.
Written by Patrick Healy '76
Send Us Your News!
Have recent work or personal success to brag about? Email Laureen Lazarovici and to be included in future newsletters.
