Booklending program puts students first

Tuesday, April 2, 1996

Take initiative to secure affordable, quality educationBy
Belinda Chen

Again this quarter, your Students First! student government will
offer free textbook loans as part of the Booklending Program. For
the target classes, Physics 6A, Chemistry 11A and 11B, Math 3B,
Statistics 50, Geography 5, Sociology 1, Biology 2 and Life
Sciences 2, we will distribute applications for the quarter-long
textbook loans during the first week of the quarter. The
applications are short, and we encourage all students having
difficulty paying for their education to apply for the program.

Because the program is in its pilot stage, we have only secured
funding for the nine classes mentioned above. However, the program
is growing rapidly; this quarter, we are able to provide textbook
loans for almost twice as many classes as last quarter. This
increase in funding is a direct result of student interest and
participation in the program.

This year’s student government is proud to provide an
institutional role for those who have decided that the skyrocketing
price of a university education is unacceptable. By helping to
administer the Booklending Program, students can begin to create
long-term programs to deal with this problem.

The Booklending Program, in keeping with the Students First!
ideology of students taking action to improve their education,
encourages a sense of personal empowerment by providing for
students an avenue to address the problems of an affordable
education. This program is not about a few student leaders deciding
what the average students’ biggest concerns are and trying to
represent them. It is about average students having a place within
student government to represent themselves and address issues of
their choosing.

However, Students First! understands that getting students
involved in student government does not sufficiently address the
national and state attacks on an affordable and accessible UC
education.

Clearly the Republicans’ attacks on federal financial aid,
especially for legal immigrants, and the meager funds appropriated
for public education by the state legislature, are larger issues
than UCLA’s student government can adequately address. To deal with
these larger educational issues, this year’s student government has
prioritized working with state and national student groups, such as
the University of California Student Association (UCSA), to
strategically pressure lawmakers and politicians to reprioritize
educational issues using tactics ranging from massive
letter-writing campaigns to statewide student marches.

In a time when student resources are constantly slashed,
students must be vigilant and work to defend what is ours. Whether
it be through lobbying, letter-writing campaigns or protests and
rallies, students must continue to use all available means to
protect our education.

There is always a need for students interested in promoting
their concerns, whether it be for more money and classes for the
Booklending Program, or for students just interested in seeing what
student government is about. Especially with elections for student
government offices coming up later this quarter, this is a crucial
time for every student to take responsibility for the quality and
problems in their education. To get more information on how to do
so, contact the undergraduate president’s office at 825-7068.

Chen is a first-year biology student.