Editorial: USAC severely lacking efficacy

They made promises they didn’t keep, refused to work
together, and spent their time and energy arguing over
inconsequential technicalities. It’s safe to say these
student leaders are pretty similar to career politicians ““
and that’s a shame.

This year’s Undergraduate Students Association Council has
failed to come close to being an effective body, and its members
are the only ones to blame for that.

Though they might have done a fine job in their respective
offices, councilmembers never managed to work together as a
cohesive unit, which takes away from the credibility of the
institution of student government.

The current council went against precedent and chose to not
declare councilwide agenda items over the summer. These so-called
action agenda items were set by councils in the past to publicize
goals for the year, and they’ve varied from fighting student
fee hikes to repealing the Expected Cumulative Progress
requirement.

Though it might not seem necessary for the council to state its
goals in bullet points, it helps the constituency keep it
accountable. It’s easy for councilmembers to lose track of
their time in office, and having set goals for the council keeps
members focused on issues that matter to the body as a whole.

Even if this editorial board has not agreed with specific
councilwide goals in the past, we believe that model is a more
successful one. Next year’s council should learn a lesson
from this year’s mistakes.

We don’t have to go any further than the preamble of
USAC’s constitution for a description of the ideal student
government. The main mission of student government is to
“fairly represent student interest, needs and welfare within
the University community … to provide for the expression of
student opinion and interests to the community at large on issues
affecting student life.”

This year’s council strayed away from these principles and
ended up an insular group whose actions appear self-serving. A case
in point: this week’s meeting, when councilmembers spent
hours discussing a technicality of the bylaws ““ a dispute
that further fragmented relations within the council.

Though there is little time left in their terms, it’s
never too late for councilmembers to shift the focus back to
addressing issues that affect more than just them.

A successful student government should use its power and
influence to advocate on behalf of the student body. Odds are that
UCLA students care more about the Westwood farmers’ market
departing or getting an on-campus bar than they do about USAC bylaw
changes.

But local, campus-based issues are just part of the picture.
Student government has traditionally been stronger when it views
students as members of a larger community affected by everything
from state ballot measures to the war in Iraq. Educating students
about these issues, and campaigning for or against them, should be
part of the council’s job. It is important to bring that
level of campus dialogue back to the forefront in order to
re-establish USAC as more than just a funding body.

This is the time to stop dwelling on trivial matters and
remember the basics. The body’s constitution states that it
“shall exist to serve the individual and collective needs of
the undergraduate student body.” That is what the students
deserve.