About

 

The Daily Bruin Alumni Network (the "DBAN") will actively engage the alumni of the Daily Bruin to serve as a robust community for all former staff members, in support of each other, the student-staffers and The Bruin. The DBAN will provide funding, mentorship and professional development programs for aspiring student-journalists at UCLA, ensuring the excellence and longevity of The Bruin. The DBAN will encourage students to reach beyond UCLA, supporting community programs to advance news literacy and the free press.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

• A governing board consisting of Daily Bruin alumni, the current student alumni relations director and current student editor in chief to oversee, manage and promote the DBAN.
• An annual on-campus general meeting and reunion, featuring speakers, career panels and receptions for Daily Bruin alumni from all professions, to strengthen bonds among each other and with the current students.
• A dedicated DBAN website, as well as active social media engagement, including private Facebook and LinkedIn groups, for our alumni in all professions to network, to reconnect, to promote our events and to share general updates and career opportunities.

MENTORSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT

• Pro bono advisory workshops and newspaper critiques offered by alumni practicing journalists and media professionals for current Daily Bruin students and staff.
• Alumni networking and early career guidance for student staffers in journalism and beyond.
• Scholarship to support student-staffers pursuing careers in journalism.
• Work with academic departments like Communications Studies and English to bolster professional advising and develop journalism courses for student-journalists.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SERVICE

• The Daily Bruin News Literacy Project: With alumni funding and support, Daily Bruin advisors and staffers will regularly give back to the community by going to local middle schools and high schools to give workshops on the freedom of the press, journalism's role in democracy and general news literacy.

ALUMNI FUNDING/ENDOWMENT

The Daily Bruin has had to undergo significant changes in recent years due to steadily- declining advertising revenue. To maintain daily publication, The Bruin has had to seek funding from student fees in 2009 and 2016. To limit rent costs, the Kerckhoff Hall office was reduced to about half its previous size in 2017. The full-time student media advisor position was eliminated, and the rest of the professional staff has been reduced to just three positions. Editor stipends have fallen sharply, requiring many staff members to take additional jobs.

The future of journalism depends on the continued success of college newspapers like the Daily Bruin, training the next generation of journalists and media professionals. Here are the ways the DBAN and its members can financially support the Daily Bruin:

• The Daily Bruin Support Fund(#63255O): All alumni can direct a portion or all of their annual UCLA giving to this official UCLA Office of Scholarships & Student Support Initiatives fund, created specifically to provide scholarships and special project grants at the Daily Bruin.  By the Daily Bruin centennial celebration in Fall 2019, the DBAN would like to raise $20,000 for four scholarships of $2,500 each and $10,000 toward much-needed upgrades and replacement of equipment at The Bruin.
• The Daily Bruin Alumni Scholarship Endowment: The DBAN is working to establish a $100,000 alumni endowment to permanently fund the Daily Bruin alumni scholarship for student-staffers at The Bruin pursuing careers in journalism, media, or related fields.  Please visit the DBAN Scholarship page for more information.