Equal access needed for all

In his column “Redirect USAC: Vote out Students
First!” (May 5), Daily Bruin columnist Garin Hovannisian
rightly understands that I and the Equal Access Coalition can be a
voice for all students, and that we are also “dedicated to
solving structural inequities” in Undergraduate Students
Association Council. He correctly assesses: “Lawson’s
cause is the single most important one,” adding that
USAC’s corruption and funding inequities must be dealt with
seriously.

This corruption began when USAC Students First! executive
leadership took the $2.3 million (an increase provided by last
year’s Students United for Reform and Equality leadership)
and found ways to give a disproportionate amount of the student
funding money to the 20 groups that have aligned themselves with
SF! over the years.

As Hovannisian has pointed out, and my office can verify,
“the organizations that are closest allies with SF! have
somehow ended up with the most money. This biased allocation of
funds flies in the face of two Supreme Court rulings and UC
guidelines.”

Needless to say, SF! members on USAC had a political agenda and
refused to work with my office on all but a few of my policy
initiatives. This is to be expected because SF! and its
predecessors had an exclusive and extremist ideology. It is not a
matter of personal bitterness.

Equal Access Coalition members are at odds with this SF!
ideology; we will advocate equality and justice for all
students.

As president, I will advocate broader representation of the
diversity of students at the USAC table. I will continue to
advocate, defend and protect the inalienable rights of all UCLA
students, regardless of their gender preference ““ this is the
standard of my slate.

I have proven myself able to work with individuals and groups
that differ with my vision. As president at my former college, I
was able to work progressively with members of groups from diverse
backgrounds and opinions such as the queer community, Latina/o
community, Persian community and others. If groups on campus want
to make an effort to constructively serve the campus, I welcome
participation in that effort.

To right the SF! inequities will require leadership with
conviction. I will attempt to build collegiality among all USAC
members without being naive about the influence of each
person’s political commitment. This is the kind of
naïveté that Doug Ludlow wishes voters to overlook in
this election.

Moving from general representative to president, my campaign
will advocate equal access education for all students because I
will, as before, lobby in Sacramento against fee hikes. Equal
access funding being opened to all registered student groups will
be a primary focus of my presidency. Equal access governance means
you have a right to participate in your student government, and I
will enforce this right by opening up USAC to broader student
representation. Equal access voting rights means I will make the
voting process unencumbered. Your vote for my presidency will
ensure equality for all on our campus.

Lawson is a USAC presidential candidate.