This post was updated April 30 at 2:44 p.m.
Three candidates for the Undergraduate Students Association Council president disagreed about affordability and student support during a Wednesday debate.
The USA Elections Board and the Daily Bruin co-hosted a series of debates between candidates in the upcoming USAC election. Four candidates are running to be president. Brian Sierra, a third-year mechanical engineering student, did not attend the debate.
Chris Vance, a third-year political science student, said during the debate that his key goal is to promote affordability for students, adding that his experiences working in financial aid offices at UCLA and his community college have informed him about student needs. Vance added that he believes his time in the Australian Air Force Cadets has given him the collaboration skills necessary to foster unity between USAC offices.
Vance said in his platform statement he would halt student fee hikes and create deadlines for the release of USAC budget documents. Vance added that he wants to increase USAC’s contribution to the Community Programs Office – which offers basic needs resources to students – from $68,000 to $100,000.
“Using a top-down approach as president myself, putting the students first, will trickle to each of the other offices and set the example of how we should be running our student government,” Vance said. “Students first.”
Jayha Buhs-Jackson, a current general representative, said during the debate that she plans to hold office hours and attend Week Zero events and programming hosted by other USAC officers to interact with students from marginalized backgrounds and make USAC resources available to them.
Buhs-Jackson, a second-year African American studies and public affairs student, said she wants to encourage students to stand in solidarity with unions in her platform statement. She added in the document that she aims to improve student community and safety, better connect the university to Los Angeles and diversify USAC.
“Not only does the President maintain association with the student body, but with the USAC council,” Buhs-Jackson said. “Co-programming and collaboration, that was both two things I was able to do as a USAC general representative and it will be a top priority that I will have when USAC president.”
Siddharth Munjal, a third-year business economics student, criticized USAC’s current operations during the debate, alleging that the council does not make its budget reports accessible enough to the student body. The council approved its budget for the 2025-26 school year in the summer, but did not post it on its website until October. President Diego Bollo said in an interview with the Daily Bruin that logistical and personnel-based issues caused the delay.
USAC’s budget report as of April 29 is more than 550 pages.
[Related: USAC’s financial transparency website initiative remains delayed past expectations]
Munjal added that, as the son of Indian immigrants, he believes students should be able to focus on school, rather than fighting for their legal right to remain in the country.
Munjal wants to create a public catalog of course syllabi, according to his platform statement. He also hopes to advocate for increasing the ASUCLA meal swipe value from $10 to $15 and expand the time frame that swipes are accepted, according to his platform. He added that he does not support increasing tuition through heightened USAC student fees.
“You are my constituent, regardless if you’re undocumented, if you’re a first gen, if you’re an international student,” Munjal said. “A student should know where every fee goes and exactly where their money goes.”
Students can vote in the election on MyUCLA starting May 8 at 8 a.m. until May 15 at noon.
