Taylor trick-or-treated around campus to talk to Bruins about their crazy costume ideas and expectations for All Hallows Eve. Second year Russian and global studies student Kat Belikov, biology major Kevin Nguyen, and second year psychology student Hayley Iwig share their plans.

Listen to the full version of this week’s Long Story Short here.

Bringing up cackles around the cauldron, Long Story Short welcomes two members from the UCLA comedy group Bruin Up Some Laughs, graduate chemistry major Robin Higgins and Asterios Kokkinos, editor of the Los Angeles comedy magazine, the Devastator. The group performs stand-up comedy every Tuesday at Kerckhoff Coffee House.

Listen to the full show here.

On Long Story Short this week, Christyana spoke with with UCLA professor and researcher David Shorter, who teaches a freshman GE cluster titled "Aliens, Psychics, and Ghosts." Here, Shorter talks about some of his own personal paranormal stories.

Listen to the full show here.

Representatives from nine University of California student newspapers interviewed UC President Mark Yudof on Wednesday via teleconference. Yudof discussed affirmative action, Proposition 30 and online education, among other topics. Listen to the full interview here.

July 9, 2012 – "The cage" is a section of UCLA's Arts Library in the Public Affairs Building where many of the unique and valuable collections of books are held.

Located in what is nicknamed the "submarine library" because of its low ceilings and battleship-esque staircases, it's where books are held under extra protection because of the risk of theft and damage.

Among the books kept in the cage is a selection of so-called "artist books" which are intended to convey an artistic message or be visually appealing in a way that sometimes has nothing to do with reading.

Robert Gore, a UCLA visual arts librarian, gave Daily Bruin Radio a tour of the cage and highlighted some of his favorite books.

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Read more about the UCLA Library Conservation Center here and here.

This story is part of the Daily Bruin’s Orientation issue.

July 9, 2012 – In recent years, social media has been the force dominating our communication with one another.

From rekindling connections between long lost elementary school besties on Facebook, maintaining current friendships through memorable Instagrams and forging new ones through the discovery of like-minded people hashtagging interests and trends, social media has become an important presence in modern society.

At UCLA, professors, TAs and students alike are utilizing this tool beyond its purely social dimensions and are integrating it in the classroom as an educational strategy aimed at widening the scope of academic possibilities.

Pictured: History professor Tobias Higbie’s Twitter page.

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This story is part of the Daily Bruin’s Orientation Issue.