Letters to the editor

USAC goes beyond the council table When looking
at the accomplishments of USAC, it is important to remember that
much of the work is done outside of the council table. For example,
the Community Service Commission sponsors 20 community service
projects, and the Student Welfare Commission has 13 committees that
address many on- and off-campus health issues. Many programs have
been created by the USAC offices beyond the two- or three-hour
Tuesday night meetings. The relationships made at the council table
serve as a basis for additional collaborative projects. For
example, CAC and CEC worked together at the beginning of the year
to bring about a huge Pauley Pavilion concert; CSC and SWC combined
with CEC and the Academic Affairs Commission to bring a community
service carnival to Bruin Walk; and World AIDS Awareness Day
““ which is being put on by the president’s office, SWC
and CSC ““ will occur in December. As for issues that have
been to the table, but were postponed during the meeting, there has
still been progress recently. Take for example the Dance Marathon
issue: A constitutional review committee has been created to look
into USAC bylaws, which have stayed stagnant while the definition
of USAC-sponsored groups has constantly changed. This is also to
insure that, in the future, the council could refer to the bylaws
and easily make an informed decision. Also, Dance Marathon has
found temporary sponsorship under SWC, so it will be able to
continue to program and function on campus. As one can see, there
is a lot of working going on, but one has to look beyond the
council table to see it in full. Janet Chiang and Justin
Schreiber USAC Student Welfare Commissioner and Community Service
Commissioner

BruinGo! program must stay While reading the
article on BruinGo! (“BruinGo! wheels in complaints,”
Nov. 7), I couldn’t help but envision a plot for a
made-for-TV movie: A few powerful killjoys conspire to prevent
local students from traveling to school because the sound of the
students’ passing disturbs them from sitting in their gardens
in silence. While such a plot might seem unrealistic, the
controversy over BruinGo! shows that such people exist. Apparently,
a few Westwood residents believe that a transportation system that
enables hundreds of students to travel to school should be stopped
because the buses, a) make too much noise, and b) cause black soot
to cover the ivy in their backyards. The first complaint might seem
reasonable unless we remember that these families chose to live
across the street from one of our nation’s largest
universities. The second charge is almost comical. UCLA’s
beautiful botanical garden borders the bus depot. If the fragile
organisms living in that area could survive the buses, surely the
Westwood ivy can do so. Additionally, the families claim that few
students ride the buses. Any seasoned (Big) Blue Bus traveler knows
that the buses pulling into the Hilgard depot frequently have
standing room only. The complaining residents could be described as
nothing less than selfish. Hopefully, the BruinGo! administrators
will continue this extraordinarily helpful program, instead of
listening to the frivolous claims of a group whose hearts must be
as black as the ivy in their backyards. Jeff Turk
Third-year law student