[GSA Elections]: Paying attention to diversity

There are over 10,800 graduate and professional students on this
campus.

We are spread throughout campus, from health sciences in South
Campus to the School of Theater, Film and Television in North
Campus. Some of our graduate students are in one-year terminal
programs, while others are expected to be here for several
years.

I believe the Graduate Students Association must serve the
various needs of its diverse student body. As a graduate student
representative, I think it is important to solicit input from
students across campus and inform them about opportunities to serve
as graduate student leaders.

In my role as a GSA cabinet member I have encouraged students to
become more informed about graduate student issues. I have also
consciously targeted graduate student councils and interest groups
in order to provide a space where new and fresh ideas could be
expressed by a diverse range of graduate students.

As you might expect, it is difficult ““ but not impossible
““ to find ways to serve the needs of all graduate
students.

I hope to continue to work with graduate students
(underrepresented students, students with families, administrators
and international students) in order to expand the services that
will improve the quality of graduate student life on campus.

Expansion of Graduate Student Services:

As a married student and a mother, I find that services for
students with families and services for graduate students in
general could be vastly improved.

One initiative that would extend student support is the
expansion of the Graduate Student Resource Center as well as the
implementation of a graduate student writing center. While
completing my undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley, I had the
benefit of a student-parent resource center that met both my
academic and personal needs. I haven’t encountered such
extensive resources here at UCLA for graduate students, and I would
like to see the increase of such services for our community.

Fees and the Rising Cost of Education:

Another area of vast concern for graduate and professional
students is the rapidly increasing cost of education. According to
the University of California Student Association, fees for academic
graduate students have increased 84 percent over the last three
years, and an even greater 69 percent to 131 percent for
professional students.

These increases in student fees negatively impact students,
their families and the departments in which they are
affiliated.

I would advocate for a freeze in student fee increases and
support graduate student financial aid based not only on merit but
also assistance, taking into consideration student hardships and
financial need.

Graduate Student Diversity:

The rising cost of education is a great concern because it will
affect access to graduate education, which will in turn impact the
diversity of our graduate programs. Various research has shown that
more diverse campus environments have positively impacted
educational outcomes for underrepresented college students.

Considering that we live in a very diverse state and city, UCLA
should serve the needs and reflect the community in which it
resides. Diversity is not only limited to racial/ethnic background;
socioeconomic status, age and gender are also important factors
that must be addressed.

As public education gets more costly, it will impact the type of
student who is able to attend our public institution.

As a collective student body it is important for all graduate
students to become more aware of higher-education policy at school,
state and national levels so that public education can remain a
possibility for all children now and in the future.

Sanchez Rivas is currently the GSA director of community
service and a GSA presidential candidate.