Maia Ferdman: Students should actively seek to improve Westwood-UCLA relationship

Though UCLA students call Westwood their home, they might not know about, much less participate in, the multiple organizations working to improve the Westwood community.

Whether students know it or not, Westwood is home to a number of entities whose sole purpose is to improve the safety, attractiveness and business of our neighborhood. The Westwood Village Improvement Association, the Westwood Neighborhood Council and the Westwood Community Council are three such groups.

A new position in the Westwood Village Improvement Association, commonly referred to as the Westwood Business Improvement District, could precipitate a thawing of the traditionally icy relationship between UCLA and its Westwood neighbors.

The Westwood BID, which focuses on general improvement of the neighborhood, recently added a marketing and communications manager, Megan Furey. This new position will allow the organization to focus on outreach and business development, said Andrew Thomas, its executive director.

If that outreach includes UCLA, the position can create new opportunities for cooperation between the association and the university, but only if students choose to pursue them.

Already, Furey has started a discount program for UCLA students, faculty and employees for many Westwood companies. She said she hopes to display the revitalization work the association has already accomplished and dismantle the misconception that Westwood is boring.

In order to maximize her potential on the association, Furey should bring to her position an attitude toward UCLA that differs from what other community leaders have espoused.

Notably, she should seek to mitigate the animosity colorfully expressed by Jerry Brown, president of the Westwood Neighborhood Council, who has called UCLA the “gorilla that must be dealt with.”

But ultimately, students must play a part in changing the way they (and the university) are perceived by the Westwood community.

“There are a lot of people in the older demographic (in Westwood) with animosity toward UCLA as a conglomerate,” said Sam Haws, a third-year economics student who holds a renters seat in the Westwood Neighborhood Council. By participating in the council, Haws said he has been able to provide a friendly face and personal connection to that demographic.

UCLA students can provide the Westwood syndicate of community organizations with much more than just friendly faces.

UCLA’s involvement in Westwood activities has reaped excellent results in the past. For example, the Westwood Community Council and the UCLA Volunteer Center have cosponsored the Westwood Organized Meaningful Project since 2010. Past projects have recruited hundreds of volunteers to plant trees, paint sidewalks and pick up trash.

Last year, UCLA students proposed designsfor small street parks, or “parklets,” to the Westwood Village Improvement Association.

By pushing for projects that serve the interest of both UCLA students and the Westwood community organizations, student advocates like the members of the On-Campus Housing Council, the Undergraduate Students Association Council and the Community Programs Office can recruit the resources of those bodies for their own causes.

For example, UCLA students could advocate for more bike racks, student-friendly businesses or events with live music – all prospects that would serve the interests of both students and neighborhood groups.

All three Westwood organizations consider UCLA a stakeholder in their activities. UCLA contributes some money to the Westwood Village Improvement Association through property fees and appoints representatives to the Westwood Community Council. UCLA students, faculty and employees can also vote in Westwood Neighborhood Council elections.

More importantly, UCLA is an imposing physical and economic presence in Westwood Village and the Westwood community.

For these reasons, UCLA students have the ability to greatly influence the focus of these organizations. In turn, community representatives like Furey, who is tasked with maintaining the external operations of her organization, can put UCLA and Westwood on a trajectory for greater collaboration and ultimately a better environment for all Westwood stakeholders.

Rather than simply viewing Westwood as UCLA’s backyard, students would benefit from identifying themselves as part of a lively and growing community with common ground and common goals.

Tweet Maia at @MaiaFerdman. Send general comments to [email protected] or tweet us @DBOpinion.