Ackerman Union UCLA: A Hub of Bruin Life Through the Decades

The Ackerman Union at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) stands as a testament to the evolving needs and aspirations of its student body. From its inception in 1961 to its present-day form, it has served as a central gathering place, a provider of essential services, and a reflection of the changing times. Its history is intertwined with the broader narrative of UCLA's growth from a teachers' college to a world-renowned research university.

From Normal School to University: The Genesis of UCLA

UCLA's origins trace back to March 1881, when the California State Legislature authorized the creation of a southern branch of the California State Normal School (now San Jose State University) in downtown Los Angeles. This decision, spurred by State Senator Reginaldo Francisco del Valle, aimed to address the growing need for trained teachers in Southern California. Governor George C. Perkins signed the bill into law on March 14, 1881.

After considering various locations, the trustees selected Bellevue Terrace, a small orange grove in downtown Los Angeles, as the site for the new branch. The Los Angeles branch of the California State Normal School opened its doors on August 29, 1882, marking the beginning of UCLA's long and storied history.

In October 1912, the Normal School trustees sold the original campus in downtown. In 1914, the teaching college moved to a new campus on Vermont Avenue in East Hollywood.

In 1919, the institution transitioned into the Southern Branch of the University of California. This transformation was the result of tireless lobbying by UC Regent Edward Augustus Dickson and Ernest Carroll Moore, Director of the Normal School. Despite facing opposition from UC Berkeley alumni and officials, their efforts culminated in Governor William D. Stephens signing a bill into law on May 23, 1919, officially establishing the Southern Branch of the University of California.

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As enrollment surged under UC President William Wallace Campbell, the Southern Branch outgrew its Vermont Avenue location. A Committee of Seventeen was formed to explore potential sites, eventually recommending the Letts' Estate (Beverly-Westwood site). The Janss brothers, the estate's owners, agreed to sell the property for approximately $1 million, significantly below its market value. Municipal bond measures passed by Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and Venice provided the necessary funds.

The architectural design of the new Westwood campus was entrusted to George W. Kelham, with assistance from David Allison. Allison, who had also designed the Vermont Avenue campus, envisioned the Romanesque style that characterizes the campus today. In 1927, the UC Regents formally adopted the "University of California at Los Angeles" name and "U.C.L.A." abbreviation. The first undergraduate classes on the new campus were held in 1929, with 5,500 students.

Ackerman Union: A Vision for the Modern Bruin

In 1961, Ackerman Union emerged as a project designed to cater to the needs of modern-day Bruins with a diverse range of activities. The multi-story building, as described by the UCLA Alumni Association, boasted a variety of amenities, including billiards, a TV lounge, meeting areas, a 10-lane bowling alley, numerous dining areas, a coffeehouse, and the Ackerman Grand Ballroom for larger events.

The construction of Ackerman Union was driven by the need for a larger and more comprehensive student union. Kerckhoff Hall, dedicated in 1931, had become insufficient to serve the growing student population. A student referendum overwhelmingly approved a plan to raise student fees to finance the $5 million project.

Joel Wachs, a student leader involved in gaining student approval for Ackerman Union, recalled the challenges in securing funding for the project. He noted that some argued that resources should be prioritized for academic facilities like libraries or medical centers. However, the students recognized the importance of a dedicated space for social interaction, recreation, and student services.

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A Hub of Activity and Services

Today, Ackerman Union continues to serve as a one-stop destination for Bruins seeking clothes, technology, supplies, coffee, groceries, and services such as the post office, banks, and a pharmacy. The building also features lounge areas and Bruin Buzz on A-Level, providing convenient spaces for students to relax and grab a cup of coffee between classes.

For students seeking more active pursuits, UCLA's Bruin Fun Zone, located on A-Level, offers a variety of games and activities, including table tennis, foosball, and arts and crafts.

The Ackerman Grand Ballroom

Ackerman Union UCLA also has the Ackerman Grand Ballroom (AGB), a spacious ballroom venue for rental of various academic and organizational events on campus.

ASUCLA: Empowering Students Through Services and Governance

Ackerman Union is administered by the Associated Students UCLA (ASUCLA), the students' association of UCLA. ASUCLA plays a vital role in student life, providing services, advocating for student interests, and fostering a sense of community.

The modern ASUCLA was formed in 1919, coinciding with the conversion of the Vermont Avenue Normal School into the University of California, Southern Branch.

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ASUCLA faced financial challenges during the Great Depression, leading to increased oversight from the University Regents. In 1933, the Regents approved a $50,000 loan to ASUCLA but established a Board of Control (later renamed the Board of Directors) to manage the association's finances.

Throughout its history, ASUCLA has undergone significant changes in its governance structure. For much of its history through the 1964-1965 school year, most of the members of Undergraduate Students Association's Student Legislative Council Student Executive Council represented constituencies such as academic groupings, gender, class (i.e. freshman, sophomore, etc.), and lower/upper division status, various boards, or even the graduate student body.

In the mid-1990s, ASUCLA faced another financial crisis due to infrastructure costs. In 1996, the association secured a $20 million loan from the University, contingent on preparing a five-year forecast with its annual budgets and restricting the presidents of the undergraduate and graduate students associations from serving on the board.

The ASUCLA Board of Directors is composed of students, UCLA administrators, a faculty member, and alumni, with students holding a majority. The Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC) consists of fifteen elected officials, while the Graduate Students Association (GSA) includes 13 councils representing related academic groupings.

ASUCLA also oversees various student media outlets, including the UCLA Daily Bruin.

The Daily Bruin: A Century of Student Journalism

The UCLA Daily Bruin, established in 1919, has served as the student newspaper of UCLA. It operates as the Daily Bruin and is governed by the Communications Board, which includes student members.

The Daily Bruin has a long and storied history of covering campus events, student issues, and broader social and political events. It has also faced challenges, including financial difficulties and attempts to censor its content.

The Legacy of William C. Ackerman

William Coit Ackerman, for whom Ackerman Union is named, made significant contributions to UCLA. He began coaching the tennis team in 1920 and served as executive director of the Associated Students from 1933 to 1967.

A Place of Memories and Transformation

Ackerman Union holds a special place in the hearts of many Bruins. It is a place where students have gathered to socialize, study, attend events, and access essential services. It has also been a site of political and cultural discourse, reflecting the changing times and the evolving concerns of the student body.

While some alumni may lament the changes that have occurred over the years, Ackerman Union remains a vital part of the UCLA experience. It continues to adapt to the needs of each new generation of Bruins, providing a space for them to connect, learn, and grow.

Notable Figures Associated with UCLA

Throughout its history, UCLA has been associated with numerous individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields. These figures include:

Arthur Ashe: A tennis champion and activist.
Llewellyn M.K. Boelter: The organizer and leader of UCLA's College of Engineering.
Paul D. Boyer: A professor in UCLA's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and founding director of the UCLA Molecular Biology Institute.
Tom Bradley: Los Angeles' first African-American mayor.
Ralph Bunche: A UCLA alumnus who played varsity basketball, competed in track and field, wrote for the Daily Bruin, and participated in debate before becoming a renowned diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Lily Bess Campbell: A UCLA professor who made her mark on the academic world through her work in Renaissance and Shakespearean literature.
William Andrews Clark Jr.: Named the library for his father, William Andrews Clark Sr., who founded a mining empire in Montana.
James A. Collins: A UCLA graduate who founded the "Hamburger Handout" restaurant chain.
Clark and Barbara June (B.J.) Cornell: Funded Cornell Hall.
Mitchel D. Covel: Joined the clinical faculty of the UCLA School of Medicine.
Marion Davies: An actress who donated $1.9 million for the construction of the children's center that bears her name.
Paul A. Dodd: A labor economist who came to UCLA in 1928.
Clarence Addison Dykstra: Became provost and vice president of UCLA in October 1944.
Louis Factor: Once vice president of the international cosmetics firm Max Factor Co.
Grace Maxwell Fernald: Established the center in 1921 originally as a research and training center for the study, diagnosis and treatment of learning disorders in children.
Francis E. Fowler Jr.: The Fowler Museum of Cultural History was named after the family of collector and inventor Francis E. Fowler Jr.
Shepherd Ivory Franz: Served as professor and as the first chairman of the UCLA Department of Psychology.
Leslie Gonda: Escaped from the KomÃ¡rom forced-labor camp in Hungary.
Charles Grove Haines: Served on UCLAâs political science faculty from 1925 until his death in 1948.
Earle Raymond Hedrick: Served as vice president and provost of UCLA from 1937 to 1942.
Mira Hershey: A wealthy philanthropist whose support made the building of the first campus dormitory possible.
Glorya Kaufman: A philanthropist and dance lover.
William G. Kerckhoff: Found success in the lumber industry and then turned his attention toward the development of hydroelectric power.
Edgar Lee Kinsey: Taught at UCLA from 1928 until his death in 1961.
Vern Oliver Knudsen: Served as professor, department chair, dean of graduate studies, vice chancellor and, eventually, chancellor of UCLA.
Lester Korn: A founder of Korn/Ferry International.
Morton La Kretz: Founded Crossroads Management.
James E. Lu Valle: A student-athlete who won a bronze medal as a track runner in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Kenneth Macgowan: Taught at UCLA from 1946 until his retirement in 1956 and served as the first chairman of the UCLA Theater Arts Department.
William Melnitz: Earned his degrees in Germanic languages at UCLA and joined the faculty soon after.
Ernest Carroll Moore: Director of the Southern Branch of the University of California (prior to the formal founding of UCLA) in 1919.
Peter Morton: Owns the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and, with partner Isaac Tigrett, started the Hard Rock CafÃ© chain of restaurants.
Franklin D. Murphy: Became UCLAâs chancellor in 1960.
Morris âMoâ and Evelyn Ostin: Generous supporters of UCLA and the arts, athletics, medicine and education.
Harvey S. Perloff: Served as dean of the UCLA Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning from 1968â1983.
Lawrence Clark Powell: Joined the library staff in 1938 and served as UCLAâs second university librarian from 1944 to 1961.
Clarence C. Reed: A Southern California physician whose gift of land, plus a matching grant of $1.37 million from the National Institutes of Health, provided construction funding for the center.
Charles Henry Rieber: Became professor of philosophy and dean of the new Southern Branch of the university at Los Angeles in 1922.
Franklin Prescott Rolfe: Held a number of administrative positions at UCLA.
Josiah Royce: Taught philosophy at Harvard University, where he also served as department chair.
David S. Saxon: Taught physics at UCLA, served as dean of physical sciences and later was appointed executive vice chancellor and provost of UCLA.
Arnold Schoenberg: A member of the UCLA music faculty from 1936â1944.
Terry Semel: Has been a powerhouse in the business world, working for Yahoo! as chairman and CEO for six years and for Warner Bros. for 24 years.
Louis Byrne Slichter: Served as professor of geophysics and as founding director of UCLAâs Institute of Geophysics from 1947 to 1962.
Robert Gordon Sproul: President of the University of California from 1930 to 1958.
Peter V. Ueberroth: Served as president of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee and then as Major League Baseball commissioner until 1989.
James Everett West: Attended UCLA in the 1940s.
John Wooden: The legendary UCLA basketball coach.
William Gould Young: Joined the Department of Chemistry at UCLA as an instructor in 1930.
Charles E. Young: Served as UCLAâs chancellor from 1968 to 1997.

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