Editorial: Villaraigosa lacks interest in students

In an event hosted by the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, UCLA students had the floor on Tuesday evening in an open-mic event.

Students could ask questions of four of the 2009 mayoral candidates before the March 3 Los Angeles City Primary Elections.

Among the four candidates present at the panel, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was not one of them. While we realize that Villaraigosa is an incumbent, this board does not appreciate that he is behaving as if he has already won the election by neglecting to participate in a forum to answer students’ questions.

As a UCLA alumnus, we would assume that Villaraigosa would take more of an interest in the concerns of current students, but he has proven this to not be the case. He has not recently taken a proactive approach to seek the demands of UCLA students, with the majority of his visits to the campus being for ceremonial events.

We understand that he already holds a position in office and is not obligated to participate in the routine election procedure. But we think that his presence would better inform the student community.

With the city budget a pressing issue for students attending public universities, this board thinks that Villaraigosa would have made a better impression if he were involved in the forum.