General Representatives

Wednesday, 5/7/97 General Representatives Darnell Grisby, Roee
Ruttenberg and Joanna Ley

This year, a wealth of experienced candidates compounded the
difficulty of selecting three candidates for the office of general
representative. Candidates were chosen based on an awareness of
their responsibility to all undergraduate students as well as on
their own specific proposals that would increase the quality of
life at UCLA. Darnell Grisby, Roee Ruttenberg and Joanna Ley all
bring strong voices and visions to USAC. Our enthusiasm for Darnell
Grisby is second only to our enthusiasm for Stacy Lee for external
vice president. Having proven himself as a leader while chairing
the Gay and Lesbian Association at UCLA and in leading the fight
for Domestic Partnership Benefits against the Office of the UC
President, we were impressed by Grisby’s ideas – one of which, the
creation of a Campus Safety Corps for greater student comfort in
the reporting of hate crimes, is long overdue – as well as his
ability to follow through on them. We whole-heartedly support an
angry young man who will not use his anger as a firebrand or an
instigator and possesses a strong interest in improving the poor
state of student-government interaction. An Access Coalition
candidate, Roee Ruttenberg possesses the desire to speak for the
unaffiliated student, a frustration with apathy, and the patience
and presence of mind to advance his mission. Joanna Ley can bring
to the office the further empowerment of the "invisible
communities" of UCLA and a strong feminist perspective which fuels
her desire to create both a Woman’s Alliance and the Women of Color
Coalition. Both organizations will further the need for constant,
consistent recognition of "women’s issues" – sexual assault,
health, child care and pregnancy – in the charge for overall
student empowerment.