Victors see win as vindication of this year’s USAC policies

Friday, 5/9/97 Victors see win as vindication of this year’s
USAC policies Opposition parties band together for next week’s
runoffs

By Stefanie Wong Daily Bruin Contributor Shouts of joy echoed
from Kerckhoff patio as candidate after candidate from Students
First! claimed victories in seven of 13 undergraduate government
offices while opposing slates watched from the steps. Results from
this year’s Undergraduate Student Association Council (USAC)
elections announced early this morning left Students First! with
plenty to cheer about. "I wasn’t supposed to win, but I did. I feel
extremely grateful," said USAC president-elect Kandea Mosley, who
attributed the slate’s success to its supporters. Though there are
still four offices yet to be decided in runoffs next week, Students
First! believed they received a clear message from the student
body. "Students continue to have faith in (Students First!), and
we’ve proven ourselves over the past two years," Mosley said. "It
shows how much students saw our work and how we made an impact,"
said internal vice president-elect Carol Lee. "We got students
involved in this year’s student government." However, some
candidates believed that Students First! received no such mandate
from the students. "When people who don’t campaign are getting 500
or 600 votes and when write-in candidates are getting votes, this
doesn’t mean there’s a sweep at all," said facilities commissioner
candidate Eric Shaw. Meanwhile, some candidates voiced concern over
what they felt was uninformed student voting. "I think it’s
unfortunate that the best candidates, the most qualified
candidates, don’t always win and that UCLA politics have become a
popularity contest," said internal vice president candidate James
Burkhardt. But despite their losses, the candidates believed their
time and money were well spent, concluding that their campaigns had
educated the students about what USAC is and its significance. "I
do not regret (the campaign) at all because I feel that I know that
I made a difference at UCLA," said Access Coalition presidential
candidate Ben Hofilena. "The issues, the vision that we ran on, is
not flawed." "I’m disheartened by the amount of corruption involved
in the election process. I hope what people saw during the campaign
doesn’t discourage students from participating," he added,
referring to the continuous mudslinging which took place during
campaigning. Final elections, held for the three general
representatives and facilities commissioner offices next week, will
involve face-offs between Access Coalition and Students First!
candidates. Both parties were optimistic about their possible
victory. "I feel that there are enough students on this campus who
care about who they want to represent them in next year’s student
government," said Access Coalition facilities commissioner
candidate Telly Tse. "We’ll definitely be out there campaigning
again, but we won’t try to terrorize the students by chalking or
confronting them with five or six people to one person," he added.
In light of the runoff, Access Coalition, Unity ’97, Liberty ’97
and Bruin Vision plan to unite as Students for an Ethical
Government in order to get the four non-Students First! candidates
elected. After last night’s victory, Students First! members
focused on the "need to continue with the energy … so we can win
next week," Mosley said. "Let’s not break our spirit. Let’s stay
strong, focused and united," added re-elected Academic Affairs
Commissioner Max Espinoza. Though Students First! holds more than
half of the student government offices, Mosley believes that
Students First! will not prevail unless all 11 candidates are
elected. "If we’re not all together, we don’t consider it a win,"
Mosley said.

Surrounded by a tight circle of Students First! candidates, USAC
president-elect Kandea Mosley leaps to a decisive victory in
undergraduate elections. Previous Daily Bruin stories: Daily Bruin
article: Students First Raise Eyebrows Daily Bruin article: Daily
Bruin Endorsements Daily Bruin article: IVP Candidates Outline
Goals