Gulp: There Goes UCal La Jolla

One of the most famous shark attacks in the history of the Pacific Coast took place a few years ago at La Jolla. A couple of skin divers were operating in the rocky cove just south of the main beach. All of a sudden, one of the skin divers looked around, just in time to see his friend in the process of being swallowed, whole, and apparently alive, by a giant shark. The last thing to disappear was his head. Nothing could be done.

This famous incident can stand as a symbol of what seems in the offing for the University of California’s branch at La Jolla. Right now, everyone is looking apprehensively at Berkeley; yet Berkeley has really become a sort of Verdun of the academic war: a cruel standoff, a war of attrition that goes on year after year, and is generally predictable. Other campuses make the headlines, and possess the fascination of the abomination. Santa Barbara, for example, where, in the student ghetto called Isla Vista, anything at all is entirely probable. Isla Vista is a liberated area, as that term has come to be defined lately. But keep an eye on the La Jolla campus in the coming months. Something really extraordinary is underway there, very much like the shark consuming the live swimmer.

About the Author

Jeffrey Hart

Jeffrey Hart is a contributor to National Review.

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One of the most famous shark attacks in the history of the Pacific Coast took place a few years ago at La Jolla. A couple of skin divers were operating in the rocky cove just south of the main beach. All of a sudden, one of the skin divers looked around, just in time to see his friend in the process of being swallowed, whole, and apparently alive, by a giant shark. The last thing to disappear was his head. Nothing could be done.

This famous incident can stand as a symbol of what seems in the offing for the University of California’s branch at La Jolla. Right now, everyone is looking apprehensively at Berkeley; yet Berkeley has really become a sort of Verdun of the academic war: a cruel standoff, a war of attrition that goes on year after year, and is generally predictable. Other campuses make the headlines, and possess the fascination of the abomination. Santa Barbara, for example, where, in the student ghetto called Isla Vista, anything at all is entirely probable. Isla Vista is a liberated area, as that term has come to be defined lately. But keep an eye on the La Jolla campus in the coming months. Something really extraordinary is underway there, very much like the shark consuming the live swimmer.