New USAC leaders must keep promises
By Daily Bruin Staff
May 17, 1998 9:00 p.m.
Monday, May 18
New USAC leaders must keep promises
Student government should facilitate campus involvement with new
agenda, programs
Throughout the recent USAC elections, candidates promoted a
barrage of new ideas and goals for the coming year. Now that the
newly elected officers are ready to begin their terms in June, it
is important that they be held to the promises that they made to
their constituents. In the past, USAC has been criticized for being
so political that it neglects the needs of students here on campus.
The newly elected USAC officials, however, have made on-campus
issues a major part of their agenda. Their challenge now is to
publicize their on-campus programs and goals to the thousands of
UCLA students who may be wondering what is being done locally. It
is essential for USAC to launch an awareness campaign to publicize
the on-campus programs with the same intensity that is justifiably
being put into larger issues like Propositions 209 and 227.The
importance of student government tackling campus issues that
directly affect student life on campus is too often understated.
Non-political programs not only serve many student needs, but they
create more avenues for people to get involved in USAC. The Bruin
supports many such programs which the newly elected USAC has
proposed. Many of these ideas came from Academic Affairs
Commissioner-elect Zuhairah Scott. They range from the creation of
a book exchange program that would allow students to buy and sell
their books in a centralized setting, to a professor guide for
students. The guide would aid students in selecting professors
whose distinct teaching styles they may or may not find effective.
It would give students accounts and ratings of various professors
and an assessment of the classes which they teach. Scott also wants
to expend the existing book lending program, which allows students
to borrow textbooks for a quarter rather than buying them at the
book store.General Representative-elect Kei Nagao’s hopes to
promote cultural awareness. To this end, one of her proposals is
for the creation of a multicultural mural project.External Vice
President-elect Liz Geyer has expressed her determination to make
UCLA more environmentally aware.Internal Vice President-elect P.J.
Gagajena has proposed a new program that would aid students in the
often intimidating transitionary period of moving off-campus and
into apartment life for the first time. Cultural Affairs
Commissioner-elect Marsele Washington has plans for a political
concert which would draw together many bands representing a wide
array of musical genres. The money raised would be put into
education. The concert would have a salient theme such as the
budgetary dilemma which pits prison spending against education
spending. The concert would focus on educating the crowd about the
issue at hand, as well as providing musical pleasure. These
programs make up a significant part of the proposed agenda for next
year’s USAC officers. While politically-motivated programs and
rallies will indeed play a major role next year, the balance of
on-campus events should be noted and praised.But most of the
newly-elected USAC has also articulated its commitment to political
causes such as opposing the end of affirmative action and defeating
this year’s Proposition 227. USAC officers who expressed their
commitment to these goals should pursue them wholeheartedly and
unapologetically. That they were elected to office under this
platform indicates that the student body – at least those who were
interested enough to voice their opinion by voting – approves of
these goals, and as a result, USAC is indeed obligated to pursue
these goals. Students presumably voted for this platform because
they recognize the very real way in which national and state issues
affect campus life. USAC should make it a priority to demonstrate
this connection to the campus community.Whether these goals can be
accomplished depends almost entirely on student involvement. USAC
must therefore make it a mission to facilitate participation by
publicizing all of their programs and campaigns – both political
and pragmatic. Many students who are interested in becoming
involved with student government do not know how, or that they are
welcome. Next year’s officers must make sure people are aware of
the opportunities available to them, and must direct them to the
path which is best for them.USAC will be successful if it works
toward the diverse goals it articulated during the campaign, and if
it does so, by enlisting the help of UCLA’s even more diverse
student body.
