Editorial: GSA needs leaders who propose real solutions

Only two candidates running in the upcoming Graduate Student
Association election have significant experience with GSA affairs.
Hardly any of the candidates have articulated clear goals or
specific proposals. If GSA were a high school student council, that
might be perfectly understandable and even expected. But unlike
high school councils, GSA will have some real problems with which
to deal.

If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget is passed,
graduate students can expect a 40 percent fee increase next year,
one of the largest increases in University of California history.
Without a cohesive response and strong advocacy at the state level,
the UC’s graduate programs will be in trouble.

While candidates are aware of the fee hike issue, they by and
large do not have adequate plans to deal with it.

The two presidential candidates have both said they want to
increase GSA’s visibility ““ a sensible goal. But it
will take more than flyers in elevators, sporadic e-mails or social
gatherings to bring change to what have become fundamental
structural problems in the state and UC budgets.

GSA candidates must understand the fee hikes are tied to larger
questions about the value and performance of UCLA’s graduate
programs. As fees go up, financial aid packages cover less, and
fewer top students are attracted to UCLA. If that were to become a
trend, the quality and reputation of UCLA would decline.