Commit to aiding student outreach

Chancellor Albert Carnesale will go down in history as one of
the leading advocates for student-initiated outreach projects at
UCLA and in the nation. Last spring during the undergraduate
student elections, UCLA students showed a similar immense
commitment to community service and student services, both on and
off campus.

The Promoting Understanding and Learning through Service and
Education student-initiated referendum, or PULSE, passed with an
overwhelming 67 percent of votes in last year’s undergraduate
student elections.

A student fee of $6.50 a quarter will directly benefit four
outreach and community service committees: the Community Activities
Committee, the Community Service Commission, the Student Initiated
Outreach Committee and the Campus Retention Committee.

Though the amount of money you pay quarterly for PULSE is only
about the amount for a day’s lunch, it will have the ability
to sustain over 60 student projects. Each year thousands of
elementary, middle school, high school and community college
students and community members benefit from the various PULSE
supported projects and programs.

At UCLA, students benefit from the free services provided
through the retention center as well as the nontraditional
education we receive from doing community service.

Asking students for money was our last resort. In the face of
repeated budget cuts to education and social services, UCLA
students proved they were willing to give a fraction of their
student fees in order to support each others’ projects.

Thanks to the commitment that UCLA students have given to the
community, we can continue providing services that were on the
verge of being seriously cut back or eliminated. Because of PULSE,
we now have some stability for next year. But we must continue to
ensure that these projects remain running.

The funds that PULSE will provide will serve to fill in the gaps
created by overwhelming budget cuts on the Student Initiated
Outreach Committee.

Still, although stabilized, this does not begin to address the
bigger problem at hand. Academic preparation and outreach programs
are needed, especially in Los Angeles, where community and
educational conditions are worsening.

We are in an environment where academic preparation programs are
in danger of being cut every year. This year a committee was formed
to critically evaluate those programs and ensure that we can show
the legislature how our objectives are being met and how we
contribute to the overall goals of the educational system of
California.

We as students and as a university must take a stand. We must
show the state that if we as students and the chancellor are
willing to financially support our outreach efforts, then they must
support the efforts as well.

While PULSE will alleviate some immediate economic issues, this
is only the tip of the iceberg. The issues that the SIOC faces are
far more complex.

In the American Indian Recruitment project, the majority of
students who participate in the program are extremely at-risk; many
of these students do not live with both parents, come from low
socioeconomic backgrounds, and attend schools that have low
university acceptance rates.

As the majority of the area served by the project is in East Los
Angeles, the project staff sees much violence and pollution due to
the centralized industry and transportation mediums that branch out
from commerce through rail, truck hauling, and the nearby Los
Angeles and Long Beach harbors.

Moreover, the SHAPE project statement of need mentions that
children in Inglewood under age 18 make up 30.1 percent of those
living in poverty. Racial and territorial violence stems from
financial turmoil, as well as the city’s inability to employ
adults and educate its youth.

Your contribution to these projects and the greater Los Angeles
community is greatly appreciated, and with your generosity,
UCLA’s commitment to excellence will continue.

Chavez, a third-year English and Chicana/o studies student,
is the SIOC chairwoman.