EDITORIAL: USAC must reform its commissions system

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 Edward Chiao

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After spending 15 hours with this year’s Undergraduate
Students Association Council candidates this weekend during the
endorsement process ““ and considering the USAC bylaws that
govern their positions ““ it is apparent that some major
changes are needed to ensure efficiency and quality representation
for students.

The primary problem in USAC structure revolves around the
various commissions ““ academic affairs, cultural affairs,
campus events, community service, facilities, financial supports
and student welfare. As it stands now, each of these offices has a
vote on council even though many of them are apolitical. In fact,
with the exception of academic affairs and financial supports, the
other commissions address narrow student interests that could
continue to operate without their vote on council.

In fact, having the commissions vote on council often does more
harm than good. Because of the slate-system used in USAC elections,
both the intended purpose of the commission and students are
cheated when an unqualified candidate runs for office simply to
provide an additional vote for their slate. This is the case with
current facilities candidate Annie McElwain, who has no experience
or pertinent ideas for her office ““ she has never served on
council and cites vaguely relevant self-defense classes as her top
priority. But she does know she supports SURE.

Students also lose when a commissioner that takes office is only
interested in their commission. Candidate Suzanne Yu, for example,
stated plainly that her only concerns are with the community
service office, and that her participation in larger council
matters like housing, overcrowding, the quarter vs. semester debate
and transportation would only be sofar as they affect community
service. This kind of representation is not what students need
either.

The commissions serve an important and necessary role in student
service. Students need a community service resource. They need
entertainment and cultural events. But there is no reason why these
services cannot be provided to them independent of USAC. And why
does an apolitical community service group deserve any sort of
campus political clout when their staff and interests are also
represented by the president, vice president and general
representatives?

It’s time for USAC to restructure itself in order to
prevent this inadequate representation system from continuing.

The first step in the process should entail converting the
current commissions from elected offices to presidential cabinet
appointments. This way the offices will keep their ties to student
government, as well as their priority in budgetary allotments. Two
of the current commissions, however, should not become cabinet
offices. Financial supports and academic affairs are intricately
related to the council’s function and can often be political
in nature ““ rendering their vote relevant and vital to
student representation.

In addition to the current commissions-turned-cabinets, an
additional cabinet office should be made to represent Westwood
community relations. Candidate Michelle Styczynski recognized the
importance of negotiating with community homeowners in her
interview for general representative, and that effort should
definitely be made official and expanded.

If each of these steps are taken, the current situation of poor
or limited representation can be avoided ““ and leaders of the
various cabinets could focus their efforts on their projects
without having to concern themselves as intimately with larger
campus affairs. Whoever is elected to next year’s council
will have to consider these issues among their top priorities. If
the goal of student government is to represent student needs to the
best of its ability, ignoring this problem would be a failure to
serve students.