Study finds clubs help reduce stress
Tomo Chien
February 03, 2025
Good morning. It’s Monday, and I’m reading about why Bakersfield is more fun than you think. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.
Apologies for missing Friday’s newsletter. I had a very late Thursday night!
1.
A USC study that’s surveying stress levels using saliva samples is turning up some neat results. Revelations include: Women tend to be more stressed than men, faculty stress peaks before grant deadlines, and while students say they’re stressed by clubs and rec sports, those activities can actually lower their cortisol levels.
2.
The Palisades and Eaton fires are officially over. All told, the blazes killed at least 29 people and destroyed more than 16,200 structures. The long-term fallout will be enormous, but more immediately, parts of the Pacific Coast Highway reopened and troops will continue guarding Pacific Palisades.
3.
The Graduate Student Government elected Janielle Cuala as its president. Priorities for Cuala, a medical biophysics Ph.D. candidate, include creating more lounges for graduate students to socialize in. But perhaps more excitingly: The current president pledged to put Nespresso machines in grad lounges by the end of her term.
4.
Donald Trump signed an executive order promising to deport international students who’ve participated in pro-Palestinian protests — an effort at least ostensibly meant to combat an “explosion of antisemitism.” Legal experts say the order is blatantly unconstitutional but could have a chilling effect on free speech.
5.
Thousands of protestors marched through downtown and blocked the 101 yesterday in protest of Donald Trump’s planned mass deportations. Riot cops began clearing demonstrators around 7 p.m., though it’s unclear if they made any arrests.