Submission: Student dissension should be carried out with respect, not hostility

After reading that the University of California Board of Regents will continue to discuss the Statement of Principles Against Intolerance at its meeting this month in San Francisco, and after hearing about anti-Semitic incidents over the past few years that have caused dissension among members of various organizations on campus, I felt the inclination to share an experience from when I was a student at UCLA. Thirty-three years ago, Bobby Grace, the Undergraduate Students Association Council president, appointed me to be his information director. It didn’t occur to me then that I might not be selected by Grace and his committee because of the color of my skin, or because of my political, religious or cultural beliefs. For you see, I’m Caucasian, Jewish and a woman. Grace is African American. At the time, I supported another candidate, but when Grace was elected, I passionately applied and interviewed for the appointed position. As Grace selected me over other well-qualified applicants, there was questioning from some members of the other student communities who had supported Grace, “Why hadn’t he picked from his own peer group?” A few years ago I reached out over email to Grace, who is now a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles. I asked him why he chose me for the position in the face of peer pressure from his constituents. His response was simply, “Joannie, your qualifications and demeanor showed you were the one for the job.” In the early 1980s, we students didn’t have cell phones, computers, the Internet, cable television and digital technology. As student leaders we supported each other, and when we disagreed on an issue, it was with respect and without fear or hatred. Our differences led us to be the passionate and dedicated UCLA community that went out into the world with self-esteem and pride. Individuals who wanted to contribute and bring forth change. Today our ideologies and our environment are in a state of flux. The words and actions we put forth to express our stances do not have to be done with disregard and dishonor for our peers. Grace taught me about perseverance and about respecting another person’s perspective and unique abilities. I am indeed a grateful Bruin. Are you? Burstein Besser graduated from UCLA in 1983 with a degree in communication studies.