Students must make up for lack of USAC leadership
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 20, 1995 9:00 p.m.
Students must make up for lack of USAC leadership
By Sabrina Smith
I find it interesting that more explanations and defenses are
made about student government in the few weeks before elections
than any other time during the year. Students are assaulted with
rhetoric from student leaders who insist that they have
accomplished their goals and that our future depends on who we vote
for this spring.
The Bruin has begun to preview the coming weeks, with articles
on undergraduate student government accomplishments, viewpoints
about ugly politics and ads (paid for with thousands of dollars of
your student fees) for forums which attract fewer students than
panelist speakers.
Student government is our only officially recognized voice by UC
administrators and Regents and yet, despite all the attention, our
student government (with a few exceptions) has been all but absent
in the recent attacks on our education.
The April 14 article, "USAC winds up the year with mixed
feelings," describes student government’s "victories." Now I
realize that council members have worked many hours to establish a
Central Committee Information Center, an information table at the
Financial Aid Office, countless forums on issues ranging form
parking to student government, and an efficient communication
system called Contact.
Yet what does an information table or yet another task force
mean to students if our aid is cut by millions of dollars? Why is
Financial Supports Commissioner Todd Sargent spending $500 on an ad
for a recent parking forum which only drew five students and yet
has remained silent on these cuts to federal financial aid?
President Rob Greenhalgh’s Leadership Summit was a great idea, but
he forgot to mention that only 20 people attended.
Ironically, however, when there’s an election meeting, the
council can pack the room. Committee meetings, useless forums and
large expensive ads in the paper won’t improve our education.
Curricular reform, low fees and more grants will, and these changes
require effective leadership.
When Greenhalgh’s forums fail because of a lack of student
participation, he doesn’t acknowledge his lack of leadership and
how it contributes to the failure. Perhaps student groups are
unresponsive to the council because the council has been
ineffective in advocating for student needs. Student Groups don’t
have time to go to "SAG forums" to discuss issues  they are
too busy organizing rallies and letter-writing campaigns to stop
the attacks on affirmative action and struggling to keep students
in school through the student-run retention programs in Men’s Gym.
What has the undergraduate council done to address the 1,000
students who dropout of UCLA every year?
The Q&A forum with the Chancellor organized by the
president’s and internal vice president’s offices was a complete
disaster, with only 40 students present. The consequences of this
disaster fall on students’ shoulders. Because of their inability to
mobilize students, elected student representatives fail to
demonstrate student concern and power. As a result, Chancellor
Young can continue to ignore student needs and interests.
These programs do not fail because of student apathy. Apathy, I
believe, is a myth used against students, rather than a reality.
It’s not that students don’t care that our fees are increasing, or
that we could possibly be losing up to $4,500 in financial aid if
the Perkins, Student Educational Opportunity Grant and College Work
Study programs are eliminated. Students are overburdened with work
and school and uninformed. Students will get involved when we
understand issues and what we can do about them, when we realize
our student power. When student leaders help facilitate that, they
demonstrate real leadership.
Students don’t need student government-sanctioned bureaucracy.
What we need is Direct Lending so banks stop making profits off
student loans. What we need are more grants so students aren’t
graduating with a debt large enough to finance a house. Students
will lose millions of dollars in financial aid in the coming year
if we don’t act now. Can you imagine receiving $220 less in state
grants per month? Can you imagine accruing interest on your loans
while you’re still in school? This would add up to $2,160 to your
tab, if you’re lucky enough to graduate in four years. Congress is
discussing eliminating the most successful financial aid programs
including Work Study and Perkins Loans and there has even been talk
about completely eliminating the Pell Grant program. These
proposals have already passed in the House, and the Senate will be
voting on these measures and more next week.
It’s up to students to make up for the lack of effective
leadership. Students across the country have been able to hold
university administrators and elected representatives accountable,
through letter-writing campaigns and grassroots efforts. We need to
do it too. If you want to get involved or write a letter to the
Regents or your representatives about these cuts to financial aid
or potential fee hikes, talk to John Du at 404 Kerckhoff Hall,
(310) 825-8545.
Smith, a recovering member of the undergraduate students’
association council, is a fifth-year women’s studies student.
