USAC passes resolution supporting UCSA’s IGNITE campaign
By Amanda Schallert
Oct. 9, 2013 1:06 a.m.
The original version of this article contained information that was unclear and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for additional information.
The undergraduate student government passed a resolution Tuesday night in support of a campaign calling for the University of California and state leaders to invest more funds and resources in education and less in prisons.
The resolution passed with an 8-4-0 vote after more than two hours of discussion, which broached topics such as affirmative action, white privilege, holistic admissions and the importance of racial and ethnic diversity in student bodies.
The resolution asked for the Undergraduate Students Association Council to advocate for and educate students about a campaign called Invest in Graduations, Not Incarceration; Transform Education, commonly called IGNITE.
The campaign pushes for the support and creation of retention and campus outreach programs at UC schools, the passage of California Senate Constitutional Amendment 5 and the establishment of resource centers for youth who were previously incarcerated.
IGNITE also calls for the passage of multiple bills and for the UC Office of the President to allocate $10 million to fund academic preparation programs. The campaign is aimed at bringing more racial and ethnic diversity to the population of students in public education.
The University of California Student Association adopted IGNITE as one of its campaigns this year.
At the meeting, External Vice President Maryssa Hall said she wrote the resolution and brought it to council in hopes that it would support the goals of the University of California Student Association, of her USAC office and of UCLA students who are backing the campaign.
Internal Vice President Avi Oved, Financial Supports Commissioner Lauren Rogers, General Representative Sunny Singh and Academic Affairs Commissioner Darren Ramalho voted against the resolution.
Some councilmembers who opposed the resolution voiced concerns during the meeting, primarily about the resolution’s call for the passage of SCA 5, which would allow race, sex, ethnicity and national origin to be considered in admissions processes in public education.
The councilmembers said they supported the holistic admissions process and were uncomfortable supporting SCA 5. Ramalho motioned to remove the passage of SCA 5 from the resolution during the meeting, but was struck down with a 4-8-0 vote.
Hall said she refused to strike passage of SCA 5 because it is an important part of the IGNITE campaign and the purpose of the resolution is to express support for the campaign.
She added that she does not think holistic admissions are enough to ensure that there is diversity in higher education, especially after passage of Proposition 209 in 1996 prevented public schools from considering race, ethnicity, sex and national origin in their admissions processes.
“I’m not going to pretend that holistic admissions has in anyway rectified what Proposition 209 has done to the population of (students from minority backgrounds) on this campus,” she said.
Community Service Commissioner Omar Arce said at the meeting that he thinks diversity on campus is important in improving students’ educations.
“From a student perspective, the more students of color there are at UCLA, the better your education will be,” he said.
Besides the SCA 5 clause, councilmembers did not disagree on many other parts of the resolution.
Singh said he did not vote for the resolution partially because it did not reference South Asian communities. Additionally, Oved said he did not think the resolution was publicized enough.
When it became clear that the resolution would not pass unanimously if it included the SCA 5 clause, USAC Administrative Representative Laureen Lazarovici told the council that it should continue with the process even without consensus.
“This body this year, and in past years, has put a little too much emphasis on unanimity,” she said. “I do see the value in wanting things to go forward unanimously, but in our democratic system, whoever gets the most votes wins.”
Contributing reports by Hee Jae Choi, Bruin contributor.
Clarification: California Senate Constitutional Amendment 5 would allow race, sex, ethnicity and national origin to be considered in admissions processes in public education.
