Editorial: UCOP unfairly limits student governments

The University of California Office of the President has
released a new draft of official regulations governing student
organizations and activities that unreasonably restricts students
from funding and organizing political activities.

The new regulations allow student governments “to address
and take positions on public issues.” Student governments are
also specifically allowed to “undertake lobbying and other
public policy-oriented activities on student-related matters …
supported by compulsory campus-based student fees and/or by
voluntary student contributions.”

However, “student governments may not use university
resources to support or oppose a particular candidate or ballot
proposition in a non-university political campaign.” This
restriction means that political issues considered central to the
university’s operation ““ such as last year’s
Proposition 54 and the recall ““ cannot be actively supported
or opposed by student governments.

The UCOP regulations make little sense. Students are allowed to
lobby, but they are not allowed to use “resources” to
support or oppose a ballot issue?

And what about the fact that student government officers are
elected by the student body as a whole? The University of
California Student Association is made up of the elected external
vice presidents of the various UC campuses. These officers are
directly elected to represent students and further their interests.
Yet the university does not want to allow them to use UC resources
to influence political campaigns that might directly affect UC
students? Clearly, these guidelines are problematic.

Students have unique problems and concerns present in no other
segment of the population. Student fees, campus housing costs and
quality of education are all issues which directly affect students,
but hardly show up on the radar of non-students.

These three issues are just a handful of examples which
ultimately can be linked to state and even national politics. For
example, Propositions 57 and 58 are bond measures which will bring
the state $15 billion dollars to pay for everything from schools to
roads. It is a ballot measure, and its passage or failure will
dramatically affect the UC system. To say student governments and
organizations shouldn’t use their resources to campaign for
or against the measure is unreasonable.

Student governments are more than funding bodies for the groups
they govern. Their primary missions include advocacy and lobbying
to achieve goals they believe are in students’ best
interests.

Students are not well represented by the “real
world” government. Thus, student government activity is the
best way for the student voice to be heard. Within the bounds of
reason, student governments should have the autonomous ability to
pick and choose the political issues they want to support or
oppose.

However, with this power comes responsibility. Here at UCLA, the
Undergraduate Students Association Council has delayed updating
their own guidelines on student group funding, citing the need to
comply with UCOP’s updated guidelines. But now, after waiting
a year for this most recent draft, USAC cannot afford to put off a
decision for another year to wait for the final revisions.

It is time for USAC to step up to the plate and make a decision
about their funding system ““ a fair compromise must be
found.