Editorial Board’s criticism crosses the line

Dahle is a general representative for the Undergraduate Students
Association Council.

By David Dahle

Once again the Daily Bruin Editorial Board reminds us how out of
touch it is with the general student body ““ and common
sense.

Its criticism of my actions, while highly imaginative, is
ridiculous (“Dahle
needs to walk on to greater issues,” Viewpoint, Jan. 11).
The members seem to think the problem of students crossing at
Gayley and Landfair Avenues is a fantasy, even though our council
member’s office found the issue important enough to pass on
to the Department of Transportation in order to conduct a second
study.

In the last couple of days I have been bombarded by students who
have repeatedly told me they appreciate that someone is doing
something about an undeniably dangerous problem. Numerous students
have told me how close they came to being hit by a car.

The Editorial Board also implies that I recently made up this
issue to gain fame. This is not only fallacious, but character
assassination. The truth is that I took up this issue a year and a
half ago as the Student Welfare Commission’s co-director of
public safety. I wrote the first letter in October 2000, almost 8
months before I was ever elected to Undergraduate Student
Association Council.

The reason I wrote the article that appeared in The Bruin
(“Crosswalk needed at bottom of UCLA trail,” Viewpoint,
Jan. 7) was to inform students about the progress of the issue and
to try to put pressure on the city to respond. As an elected
official I think it is my duty to update the student body on my
office’s activities. There is already enough apathy and
cynicism toward USAC because people don’t know what elected
officials are doing with their student fees.

The Editorial Board also suggests that I focus my priorities on
issues such as the street parking situation and De Neve
construction discomforts. While these are very important issues,
who among us thinks that reducing the number of parking tickets
students receive because of two-hour parking signs is as important
as fixing a situation that could potentially lead to fatal
injury?

It seems the Editorial Board values comfort and money over
safety and security. And in regards to the board’s
suggestion, the reality is that USAC officials don’t have the
authority or influence to affect situations that are dictated by
municipal economics or construction delays contingent upon rain
patterns. Despite what anyone thinks, no USAC official could have
gotten De Neve completed on time.

At the beginning of my term I decided to pursue projects that
were not only important, but also feasible. USAC members are only
in office for one year. Big issues sometimes take multiple years to
tackle. This is not to say that USAC is not pursuing parking and
housing issues. Actually some council members are actively involved
with these issues daily and are making progress. I base what I do
on what students have told me they wanted or needed. It seems the
Daily Bruin only gives credit to USAC officials who gripe and rail
against the administration.

I am passionate about safety and security issues, which is why
these are at the top of my agenda. If the Editorial Board
doesn’t like it then it is free to criticize my issues,
methods and results. But I will not let the Daily Bruin Editorial
Board, composed of people who don’t know me, make assumptions
about my motivations and then assault them.

I also find it frightening that the Editorial Board would
attempt to mislead the entire student body by presenting their
personal assumptions as fact while having no real evidence to
support its comments about my graduation status. I could just as
easily make an assumption that the Daily Bruin Editorial Board is a
group of “anti-common sense wannabe journalists.”

But I will let the students decide for themselves.