With Undergraduate Student Association Council elections
beginning today, many students will cast their votes hoping for
specific changes and fresh leadership. Many students will also cast
their votes knowing their involvement with USAC ends there.
But regardless of who wins, the campus community must remember
USAC does not and cannot accomplish its goals by itself.
USAC has a multi-part mission; it distributes money to student
groups, advocates on behalf of students and organizes large campus
events. Unlike the state and federal government, USAC can be a
powerful force students can actually be part of ““ if they
bother to make themselves heard.
Following the passage of a fee referendum this year, USAC now
has sufficient resources to increase and broaden its direct impact
on the community. Also, the current candidates seem fresh and
willing to cooperate with each other, characteristics that have
been demonstrably missing among USAC politicians in recent years.
Students who care about issues like student fee increases, housing
costs, the minimum progress requirement, a diversity requirement,
racial data collection and BruinGo! should make sure
candidates’ promises of openness, inclusiveness and activism
become realities.
For this to happen, USAC needs specific forms of support from
the community.
First, students must vote in candidates who will lay out
specific goals, put out tremendous effort to achieve those goals
and will be willing to compromise if necessary.
Once the ballots are cast, students who care about the issues
should offer to work with officers to achieve their goals. Many
USAC projects this year would have benefited from more direct
cooperation from the student community.
Likewise, UCLA administrators, who may not always see eye-to-eye
with student leaders, should always take the time to hear their
concerns. The University of California mission is to educate
students and conduct research, but students cannot learn and
researchers cannot research if administrators ignore the people
they serve.
But even if the administration is not cooperative, students can
still get things done ““Â if they can avoid fighting with
each other.
Significantly, almost all of the candidates agree about the
major issues, regardless of slate. USAC is empowered to make long
lasting, impactive decisions.
Before next year, USAC and student leaders must plan to divide
and conquer the problems surrounding these issues ““Â the
student experience is at risk.
The cost of attending UCLA could dramatically increase again.
Student group participation could decline as students are forced to
take more classes than they otherwise would because of minimum
progress. A controversial ballot initiative could rob the
university of its ability to track diversity if people are not
properly educated about it.
The stakes are too high to let any squabbling over who can take
credit for what limit action and advocacy.
Hopefully, next year USAC politics will be less divisive.
Hopefully, the council will be more open and visible. Hopefully,
they will be able to concretely tackle issues they all care
about.
This is what students have been promised. But only an interested
and active constituency can ensure that it actually happens.