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Undergraduate hopefuls voice their differing visions for UCLA

By Daily Bruin Staff

April 22, 1996 9:00 p.m.

Tuesday, April 23, 1996

With the upcoming undergraduate elections, each candidate hopes
his slate’s platform will win over the student voteBy Brooke
Olson

Daily Bruin Staff

With undergraduate elections just around the corner, three
students are vying for the position of president, each truly
believing that he can revolutionize students’ lives.

A position of power, the undergraduate president bridges the gap
between students and administrators. The president serves on the
students association’s Board of Directors and appoints students to
serve on a variety of advisory committees.

But despite this position’s power, these elections have
historically not been important to students. Last year saw only a
20 percent voter turnout ­ a reflection of how students are
unaware of the ways in which student government impacts them, said
members of the undergraduate council.

"Student government doesn’t really affect me," said John Devon,
a second-year biology student. "It seems as though (the council is)
just a bunch of big wigs with an important title and it’s not
really relevant to my life."

Still, the undergraduate government directly affects UCLA
students in a number of ways, especially in direct services to
students. Some examples of student services that the presidential
candidates hope to provide next year are longer library hours,
expansion of the booklending program and a pub on campus.

"(It is important) to have students realize that if for some
reason student government was taken away, they would feel the
effects right away," said Brad Miller, a United Student member and
a presidential candidate. "These are direct services which affect
students in a variety of ways and (are) relevant to the students
daily lives."

The council also serves as a link to the university’s resources,
such as money and administrators, and can levy these as advantages
to enact change in the university.

"Basically, (the council is) the middle ground for students to
voice their concerns to who we have access to, such as
administrators and legislators," said John Du, the council’s
external vice-president and Student First! presidential
candidate.

This year, three undergraduate students are vying for the
position of student body president ­ Student First! incumbent
John Du, United Students candidate Brad Miller and third-party
candidate J.D. Tovar of the Bruin Vision slate.

The difference among the candidates lies in their slate’s
priorities and approaches to various campus issues, such as
affirmative action, fee hikes and direct student services.

The Student First! presidential platform wants to address both
state and national issues as well as direct student service
programs, planning to work on affirmative action, fee freezes and
student services, such as the booklending program and housing
information program.

In contrast, the United Students slate believes that state and
national issues, such as financial aid, should be conducted by the
external vice president’s office only. The president would be
responsible for student needs, such as advocating longer library
hours and more study space.

But the Bruin Vision slate believes differently, in that state
and national issues should be left up to the discretion of student
activist groups. The council would focus strictly on campus issues,
such as expansion of Student Psychological Services.

Du’s platform consists of three parts. The first is providing
student services, such as the scholarship resource center and the
housing program to help students move out of the dorms.

He would also like to reintroduce the professor guide; student
evaluations of professors would be tabulated at the end of each
quarter and a list of the top 10 best and worst professors would be
printed as an advertisement in the Daily Bruin.

"The reason I want to provide student services is because the
student government needs to be relevant to the student’s daily
lives," Du said. "The council needs to build that relationship with
the students to earn the students’ trust and confidence."

The second step of his program consists of empowering students
through organizing activities such as voter registration drives,
postcard campaigns and rallies.

"The philosophy behind that is that our only strength is in our
numbers and our ability to vote and to hold those accountable by
our votes," Du said. "We don’t have $3 million to run a 30-second
soundbite, nor do we have professional lobbyists to run Sacramento,
so we have to depend on our grassroots organizing to demonstrate
our power."

Du’s third step is student advocacy, which consists of the
student government working with thousands of students across the
nation to advocate for issues such as fees, financial aid and
affirmative action.

"This all comes under the idea that students need to have access
to information," Du said. "After building a relationship with the
students through student services, then organizing students
collectively, we can use that power to advocate change on a state
and national level."

Miller, however, believes it is the external vice president’s
job to work on issues such as affirmative action and fee
freezes.

"I fully support affirmative action … but we can’t have the
entire council focused on that issue because then they would be
neglecting the other factions of UCLA," Miller said. "We’re not the
police for the entire UC system, let alone the nation."

Instead, the United Students’ candidate is focusing specifically
on student services, such as increasing the amount of worth of a
lunch coupon issued from the dorms.

"My big issue is accessibility of the student government to all
students and all student groups and on refocusing the council to
concentrate on campus issues instead of state and national issues,"
Miller said. "The government needs to inform students about what
UCLA has to offer."

Miller would also like to increase the number of class choices
for the general education requirements and would like to
redistribute the money the council receives each year.

"There are hundreds of groups at UCLA and everyone deserves an
equal chance for funding," Miller said. "I don’t want to take money
away from groups, I simply want to spread it around."

The United Students’ main goal is to make all students feel as
though their student government fully and completely represents the
entire student body, Miller added.

Tovar’s platform consists entirely of UCLA-related issues, such
as setting up the KLA radio station with with an FM transmitter and
initiating a class credit system for the John Wooden recreation
center.

With regards to state and national issues, Tovar believes the
responsibility to fight for affirmative action, fee freezes and
financial aid, rests solely with student activist groups.

"Our platform thinks the student advocacy groups do a good
enough job as is and it’s inefficient to waste the council’s money
and time on doing something that the advocacy groups do well," he
said.

Instead, Tovar plans to focus on other campus concerns. He is
interested in opening a pub on campus and selling alcohol at the
Rose Bowl during football games.

"Everyone goes to the football games and they drink before and
they smuggle in their own alcohol," Tovar said. "Basically, it
could serve as a big revenue builder for the school."

Additionally, the Bruin Vision slate is interested in making the
Bruin Gold Card usable in Westwood stores.

"A lot of students don’t have checking accounts and they just
carry cash, and it would be easier for them to use their Gold Card
in Westwood," Tovar said.

Besides alternative platforms, all three candidates have
different realms of experience.

Du began his political career at UCLA through community service
in Project MAC, which works with abused children. In his second
year, he served as the assistant UC and State Affairs Director for
the external vice president’s office. One year later, he was the
United California State Association Director, and was the liaison
between the association and UCLA. This year, he currently serves as
the external vice president.

Miller served on the executive board of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity
for three years, as treasurer, vice-president and president. He was
also the director of Financial Resources under last year’s council
president Rob Greenhalgh and worked closely with Financial Supports
Commissioner Stanley Yen this year.

J.D. Tovar is this year’s third party candidate for the Bruin
Vision slate. He is involved with several campus groups such as
Circle K and Golden Key. Although he has never worked in the
student government, he noted that leadership experience does not
always equal leadership ability.

Supporters of all the candidates disagreed on how much
experience is needed in order to successfully run the undergraduate
student body.

Proponents of Du said his experience with the council is a
definite plus in his candidacy for president.

"Obviously I support John Du." said York Chang, the president of
this year’s council. "He is the only candidate I know that has
actually worked on the issues students care about ­ such as
fee hikes."

But others say Du’s past experience with the council has made
him lose touch with the students, and would like to see a fresh new
face in council.

"Brad Miller can bring some fresh blood to the presidency," said
Matt Shapiro, Miller’s campaign manager. "Du is too focused on
state and national issues and has forgotten about the students here
at UCLA."

Some students are more inclined to support someone who has never
been involved with the politics here on campus.

"J.D. Tovar sounds like he would be a really unbiased and fair
president,"said Anita McHoward, a third-year astronomy student. "He
doesn’t seem like the type who would lean towards one student group
or the other."

Perhaps the biggest controversy this year surrounds the
distribution of funds. Each year the council receives $54 per
student to fund programs and organizations for the UCLA campus.

United Students contend that Du is biased towards certain groups
that exhibit the external vice president’s ideology.

"Brad would do a better job as president because he’s not as
selective about the people he represents ­ he represents
everyone," said Cheryl Chang, the council’s general representative.
"But John, on the other hand, seems to give preferences to
particular student groups."

But Student First! members contended that Du is a fair and
impartial candidate.

"John Du is one of the most unbiased people on council," said
Tristen Sotomayor, president of Bruin Democrats. "He is continually
working to improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of
life for the students."

Some consider Tovar’s lack of experience with the council an
element that makes him a perfect candidate for impartiality, others
said.

"J.D. Tovar has never worked with any of the student groups or
the student government before and I think that would make him a
fair candidate,"said Jason Pittman, a fourth-year history
student.

Each candidate though, remained firm in their belief that they
will best be able to serve the student body.

"I’ve always been one to be involved in shaping the state in
which we live ­ I’ve never been one to just stand around and
watch things happen without getting involved," Du said.

"The purpose of student government is to have a clear and
realistic plan on how to deal with all of the educational issues
affecting students ­ and Student First! has that plan," he
added.

Miller, however, is running for office because he feels as
though he owes something to the UCLA community.

"UCLA’s given a lot to me and UCLA is capable of giving a lot
more and I want each and every students to get the most out of
UCLA," Miller said. "That is the role of student government ­
to help every Bruin get the most out of their years here at
UCLA."

Tovar, though, is involved because he wants to make the student
government more relevant to the campus.

"A lot of people have this notion that the government is just
really a separate body from UCLA," Tovar said. "I want to make the
government an important part of a student’s daily life."

Regardless of the outcome of the May 1-2 election, students
hoped the candidates overcome their differences and unite to
improve campus life.

"If you could just imagine the number of students that would be
involved and would benefit if each faction threw away their baggage
and worked together," said Todd Sargent, last year’s financial
supports commissioner. "Only then will students at UCLA be truly
looked at as a force and be empowered."

Fred He/Daily Bruin

Presidential candidate J.D. Tovar, as part of the Bruin Vision
slate, would focus strictly on campus issues.FRED HE/Daily
Bruin

United Students’ candidate Brad Miller would like to increase
student government accessibility and concentrate on campus
issues.FRED HE/Daily Bruin

Student First! incumbent John Du thinks student government
should have a clear plan on educational issues.

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