Action Pact

  Photos by MICHAEL JENNINGS African Student Union
President Karren Lane discusses planning protests
against SP-1 and 2 during a "Unity Meeting" of the Affirmative
Action Coalition Monday night.

By Matt Goulding
Daily Bruin Contributor

Whether it was divestment from South Africa’s apartheid
regime or the reinstatement of affirmative action, students at UCLA
have fought for things they believe in ““ with or without
immediate results.

Student activism has been an integral part of the history at
this university ““ and it continues to be a reality with
groups like the Affirmative Action Coalition, which has been
working since 1995 to reinstate the use of race, gender and
ethnicity as a UC admissions measure.

“Students have always been at the forefront of social
change,” said Karren Lane, president of the African Student
Union, one of many groups that make up the AAC.
“Specifically, at UCLA, we’ve inherited a legacy of
student activism. We have the responsibility as students to make
sure that the victories in the past are not lost in the
present.”

Though campus activism flourished with the 1960s civil rights
movement, today’s AAC stemmed from the Third World Coalition,
a group that led the 1980s anti-apartheid movement on campus,
according to former Undergraduate Students Association Council
President Mike de la Rocha.

The UC Board of Regents divested from South Africa’s
apartheid regime in 1985 due mainly to pressure from students and
community activists.

In April 1985, about 2,000 students boycotted classes and
demonstrated outside Murphy Hall in protest of the UC’s
financial ties to South Africa. More than 1,000 of them entered the
building, and several hundred stayed overnight.

  Photos by MICHAEL JENNINGS Ghaith
Mahmood, president of the Muslim Student Association,
holds up a sign now appearing around campus.

Yielding to the pressure, the regents voted later that year to
sell stocks from companies invested in South Africa.

Between 1993-94, students formed the Human Rights Coalition to
combat what they viewed as racist legislation, according to de la
Rocha. The coalition was a multi-racial organization composed of
Samahang Pilipino, the Asian Pacific Coalition, ASU and the
American Indian Student Association.

The group fought against Proposition 187 and California’s
three strikes law. Later declared unconstitutional, Proposition 187
sought to end all public services ““ such as health care and
education ““ to undocumented immigrants.

In 1995, the year the regents adopted SP-1 and SP-2 repealing
the use of affirmative action in UC admissions and hiring, mostly
the same student groups formed the Affirmative Action
Coalition.

“Our legacy is rooted in these student
organizations,” said de la Rocha, who graduated last
year.

Comprised of a number of groups including ASU, MEChA, the Asian
Pacific Coalition and others, the AAC is working to ensure that
they can continue make the student voice one of change at UCLA.

“I have been really impressed with the activism at UCLA
recently,” de la Rocha said. “They learned from the
past. They are being forced to see how issues overlap; how the
issues of one community affect others, whether it is people of
color, or queer people.”

With the next regents’ meeting impending, members of the
coalition consider the approaching days an important time for
action.

“Everyone understands that we have to work together. There
are no egos that get involved,” she said. “People
understand the urgency and importance of the effort. There’s
always been discussion and there’s always been different
points of view, but we come to a decision collectively.”

Lane said she felt the steadily declining number of students of
color accepted at UCLA and other UC campuses has created a sense of
urgency for the group.

Even if accepted, many students are choosing not to come to UCLA
because the university has failed to embrace diversity on campus,
she said.

“Students and parents are waiting to see what the regents
will do this March,” Lane said.”This will significantly
impact how many students will decide to enroll at the UC campus
this coming school year.”

Though the matters of SP-1 and SP-2 are not currently on the
agenda for the meeting, AAC members said under the policy of the
board’s Robert’s Rules of Order, which governs
parliamentary procedures, unscheduled issues can be introduced and
voted on during the meeting.

Whether or not this may actually happen, the members of AAC feel
strongly about the importance of their actions this month.

“The time is now,” said Kei Nagao, chair of APC.
“It’s been five years since they began talking of
repealing it and they continue to postpone it.”

In hopes of putting an end to the continued postponement, the
AAC has instituted a plan of outreach and education to the students
on campus and to members of the community.

Flyer distribution, petition signing and open meetings have made
their concerns known to people ranging from high school students to
Gov. Gray Davis.

Nagao said student activists are unfairly perceived as wild
protesters and that groups like AAC have adapted a wide variety of
effective measures for voicing their opinions.

“Rallies aren’t the only thing we’re
doing,” she said. “We’re educating, we’re
talking to elected officials and community organizations, and
we’re encouraging critical thinking. Activism is about
raising consciousness.”

Monday night’s Unity Meeting, where members congregated to
discuss their plans for this crucial period, accentuated the
inclusive nature of the coalition. Nearly 100 students gathered in
the Kerckhoff State Room to engage in a discourse concerning the
issues, their progress and their shortcomings.

“This fight is not only in honor of our little brothers
and sisters, our cousins, and our neighbors, but also for the
people before us who risked their lives to go to a place like
this,” said Elias Enciso, USAC’s internal vice
president, during Monday’s meeting.

Though the AAC is planning on protesting the regents’
meeting, which will take place March 14-15, Lane said all students
can use the campaign to address issues at hand.

“Our goal is to create an atmosphere where students,
community, and faculty can come together and speak about diversity
on the UC campus,” Lane said. “We want our collective
voice to be heard by the UC Regents, the UC chancellors and Gov.
Davis.”

Both Lane and Nagao said the impact of the regents’
actions is not limited to students and faculty directly affected by
affirmative action ““ but to everyone on campus.

“It’s affecting everybody’s ability to succeed
on this campus,” Nagao said. “It’s inhibiting
because, no matter who you are, you’re not being provided
with a proper educational environment.”

The diverse composition of AAC reflects this idea. Lane said
that no matter what the background of the member, the students are
united for a common goal.

“It’s beautiful,” Nagao said. “If we
didn’t care about people and basic human rights, then we
wouldn’t put so much time into it. This isn’t an
extracurricular activity.”

De la Rocha said he is proud of the activism that goes on at
UCLA.

“What you will see next Wednesday will probably be the
largest student strike and demonstration in the last two to three
years,” he said. “It will be a continuation of 1998
when we took over Royce Hall. Everything seems to show that it will
be the beginning of a struggle.

“I think the Third World Coalition is back, and
stronger,” he continued.