Editorial: Dahle inconsistent in words, actions

On today’s Viewpoint page, Undergraduate Students
Association Council President David Dahle accuses the Daily Bruin
Editorial Board of misrepresenting the circumstances surrounding
his Student Judicial Board appointments because “it has an
agenda to push.” This is untrue.

The Bruin reported Thursday that Dahle’s appointment of
four white students to the judicial board, which interprets USAC
bylaws, was rejected because the council was concerned with lack of
diversity. The editorial board supported this viewpoint and asked
Dahle to reconsider his appointments so as to aim toward an ethnic
and political balance.

Dahle correctly points out the board should have considered the
large number of minorities he’s already appointed to other
committees before claiming “he needs to work on keeping
(minority) concerns a priority.” But even then there is a
contradiction: on one hand Dahle says “it is sometimes
impossible to identify a person’s ethnic background” on
applications. But on the other hand he boasts “the percentage
of minorities greatly outnumbers non-minorities” in his
appointments. So, was he actually concerned about ensuring a
diverse representation, or did it get there accidentally?

Dahle also asserts the J-Board should be entirely impartial
““ he says other government institutions are fashioned this
way for the judicial process to work and retain its integrity. But
this is entirely unrealistic.

Regardless of candidates’ attempts to ignore their own
biases, their socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds are going to
affect the way they perceive challenges to the USAC bylaws. And
when major contentions arise between the slates, they will likely
side with the slate with which they most agree or with whom they
feel most attached. Apply this to government institutions as Dahle
says, and you’ll find the same pattern in the highest court
of the country. In 2000, the Supreme Court voted along the party
lines of those who appointed it to basically hand George W. Bush
the presidency before all votes were thoroughly recounted. And look
who heads the entire Justice Department: John Ashcroft, a man so
politically biased and extreme he lost the senate race in Missouri
to a dead man.

Dahle points out most of his appointees are Student Empowerment!
affiliated, but when you look at the difference between the two
slates, it’s easy to see why. SE! is an institutionalized
slate with a high volume of support; SURE has less cohesion. At
last spring’s editorial board endorsement hearings, Dahle
said they were running under a slate because they could not win as
independents ““ the only thing the slate and their supporters
had in common was their desire to beat SE! And Facilities
Commissioner Annie McElwain said she was running for office because
Dahle asked her to ““ she had no clue of her office’s
responsibilities then, and had no relevant ideas of how to improve
upon it. It’s not outlandish to believe Dahle selects people
that will comply with his desires, even when
“independent.”

Even though the majority of Dahle’s appointments to
various USAC committees have been SE! members, students
shouldn’t forget when it comes to the most important
committees ““ the ASUCLA board of directors and the Budget
Review Committee ““ he appointed all three of the SURE
candidates who lost in the elections last year: Dria Fearn, Maggy
Athanasious and Justin Levi.

Dahle claims he agrees with the council’s concerns over
ethnic diversity, but his actions tell more of defiance than
understanding ““ he has resubmitted three of the same white
candidates for appointment consideration.

Dahle has an ethical and political responsibility to research
the facts surrounding his recommendations before making a judgment
that affects thousands of people.