Editorial: ASUCLA requires more than just money

Students ““ simultaneously the directors, shareholders,
employees and customers of ASUCLA ““ will be asked to make a
substantial investment during the upcoming elections. While the
association certainly needs an infusion of cash, it more
desperately needs an influx of students who care about its
future.

The Associated Students UCLA, an organization as old as the
university, is a unique creature. Controlled by eight undergraduate
and graduate students, it operates the student union and the food
and retail services throughout campus.

Currently in financial trouble, it desperately needs student
fees to revitalize itself.

But the question remains, will the new ASUCLA just be a bigger
and better mall (complete with healthy restaurants and Jamba
Juice), or will it be a space that truly fosters student
community?

Beginning Wednesday, graduate students will have an opportunity
to vote on a new fee titled “SAFE,” which stands for
Students, Activities, Facilities and Employees. Undergraduates vote
starting next Tuesday.

If passed, annual student fees would gradually increase from
$7.50 to $55.50 by 2009-2010 and steadily rise thereafter.

The bulk of the referendum would go toward remodeling ASUCLA
facilities, with the remainder dedicated to increasing student
employee wages and funding student-generated programming.

These are all worthy goals, especially considering the poor
state of many aging facilities and the stagnant and unimpressive
wages paid to student workers.

But in exchange for this increased support, ASUCLA’s
shareholders must demand that their union serve their needs.

The association’s business model of selling sweatshirts
and Panda bowls has proven unreliable. In 1996, its finances were
so dire that the university had to bail it out with a $20 million
loan.

And, as the referendum reads, the fee increase seems nothing
more than an investment in a failed business plan. Students should
vote yes not because they want more places to eat, but because UCLA
is in desperate need of a union that sees students not solely as
customers.

College students don’t need a Copeland Sports store on
campus; we need couches and a coffee machine. We need spaces that
facilitate social and intellectual exchange ““ not just
monetary.

Ackerman Union was once home to a bowling alley, and the
association needs to reinstate that spirit. Westwood has given up
on students, and ASUCLA could fill that void ““ especially
because the campus isn’t subject to the same draconian zoning
laws crippling Westwood Village.

This referendum, even though it’s not advertised as such,
carries with it great potential for a vibrant and renewed campus
community.

The student population has largely forgotten that it controls
ASUCLA’s destiny. Hopefully, when students are forced to
reach for their pocketbooks, they will be reminded they deserve a
return on their investment.