Submission: EVP office’s Bruin Defenders program will further student advocacy

UCLA is home to an impressive number of student organizations with diverse interests, and each student organization should have opportunities to advocate for its interests and passions in order to bring about tangible change for its communities and the UCLA student body at large. Traditionally, past years’ travel grants given by the Office of the External Vice President have been limited to a maximum of $500 used for conferences and programs, where the scope of advocacy was limited; the opportunity to advocate at a state or national level was also stymied due to the constraints of the $500 grant cap. Additionally, the $500 grants came from a fund that only contained $10,000.

In previous years, only 20 student groups total had the opportunity to apply for these funds each year. Because UCLA is home to more than 1,000 student organizations, this cap made it hard for student organizations to advocate at the state and federal levels. This year the External Vice President’s office is excited to announce a program called Bruin Defenders – a new program with an expanded budget for student advocacy and travel. The program launches Tuesday.

Bruin Defenders will combine the student activism of last year’s travel grant with the new goal of empowering students to advocate on a state and federal level. The basis of the Bruin Defenders program is to provide students the resources, access and structure to lead their own advocacy efforts. The communities that participate will have strength and command over their own endeavors and each organization that participates in Bruin Defenders will take the forefront in advocating for their communities’ interests. With the scope, contacts, experience and funds Bruin Defenders offers, a far wider array of student voices can be heard on a state and federal level.

This way every student or student group with a story to tell or an issue they are passionate about has the right to apply for a Bruin Defenders Grant. About $50,000 has been set aside to fund advocacy related travel, directly to State and Federal officials, as well as to conferences that connect students with advocacy opportunities. More than just funds, the EVP office will have professionally trained student advocates that serve as free counsel for students and organizations on these advocacy visits.

The office and its staff have established a vast network of powerful contacts with whom meetings on a wide array of issues can be arranged. In essence, all students on campus with a passion for a critical idea have the power and connections to tell their stories, to get our leaders to make positive changes. With a new measure of student power and recognition, we can work together alongside state and federal leaders to enact positive change.

Students interested in a Bruin Defenders grant should submit a written application available at BruinDefenders.com. Student applicants will work closely with the Bruin Defenders director and legislative director to create a specific plan of action that best helps student organizations execute their advocacy goals while on their trip.

Students who have been approved will attend a hearing with Bruin Defenders staff to discern the objectives of the group and its advocacy needs. At the discretion of the Office of the External Vice President, funds will be disbursed and the office’s legislative director will initiate or delegate preparatory work. The legislative director will work closely with the student organization to make sure the organization’s advocacy needs are fully met.

After returning from the advocacy trip, the recipient will provide a report on the results of the trip, accomplishments, shortcomings and general testimonial. Students and student groups may reapply for additional advocacy, but they must repeat the application, review and planning process. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

A program of this scope of opportunity is exciting and unprecedented. UCLA students can go as far as Washington, D.C., to be on the front lines of their most coveted causes, no longer restricted by location, funds or other factors. This year, the External Vice President’s office offers a bold expansion in funding for students, immensely surpassing previous years’ funding levels. Our office’s principal message: All students should have an opportunity for their voices to be heard.

Martinez is a third-year political science student. Borden is a second-year international development studies student. Guilyard is a second-year political science student. All three students work in the EVP office.