Today, vote for leadership that takes action

Today, vote for leadership that takes action

The following viewpoint was submitted by members of the African
Student Union, Asian Pacific Coalition, Movimiento Estudiantil
Chicana y Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) and Samahang Pilipino.

In the last two years, underrepresented communities and UCLA
students in general have been disenfranchised from student
government. Why has this happened? Student government is supposed
to be an advocate, a voice for the needs and concerns of all
students.

For more than two years now, the UCLA student community has been
"represented" by an ineffective and unresponsive student
government. As a result, we have seen important student issues like
rising registration fees, cuts in financial aid, curricular reform,
low graduation rates, police brutality, students’ association
accountability and programming go unaddressed. More often than not,
these issues that affect us all have been continuously overlooked
or merely scorned by our so-called undergraduate government
"student leaders."

This year, in our view, only the external vice president’s
office and the Cultural Affairs Commission, under the leadership of
York Chang and Jeanna Yoo, respectively, have effectively voiced
the concerns of students and taken pro-active steps to address
these student issues. But this general lack of representation and
lack of action-oriented advocacy on behalf of students cannot be
allowed to continue.

Surely, we do not pay undergraduate student government out of
our registration fees so that people can build their resumés,
wine and dine with administrators ­ and become junior
administrators at the same time ­ all at the expense of the
greater student community.

As a student, it is in your interest to take a look at the
leadership that has been in office the last two years. Think about
the interests of ALL students. Think about how angry and frustrated
you get when your voice is not heard, represented or even
acknowledged. As students, shouldn’t we demand much more from our
undergraduate student government leaders?

For those of you who may not necessarily identify with our
organizations, hear us out. We ask all of you in the greek system
or perhaps any of you who are in other groups and who believe that
the greek leadership has irresponsibly and disingenuously pushed
candidates who do not have a solid, inclusive plan for all
students, to critically assess who will really fight for your
interests as students.

Question your motivations in electing student government
officials. Why do you go out on Bruin Walk to sandwich board? Are
you doing it because it’s considered your community service for the
quarter? Or are you doing it because you actually believe that your
candidates have what it takes to effectively, responsibly and
sincerely represent your issues as a student?

Student government can and should be a tool to affect change. We
must use it in our fight to empower our communities. Mere rhetoric
will not stop rising registration fees or cuts in financial aid.
Mere rhetoric will not reform our curriculum or improve graduation
rates. Mere rhetoric will not stop police brutality. And it
definitely will not hold the students’ association accountable.

So how can we effectively address these issues and make student
government really work for students? Once again, election time is
here and we are presented with various candidates who claim to
represent our constituencies and our issues. Once again, the
student community has the opportunity to choose those candidates
who will actually represent us and believe in our issues, not only
during election time, but year-round.

We need individuals in office who believe that students should
be the priority at the university. We need candidates who have the
vision, experience and commitment to pro-actively work to attack
problems and issues that affect all students. We need individuals
who have developed the skills to work collectively and have gotten
their hands dirty in the "trenches" of true student activism and
advocacy on issues that impact our respective communities and the
campus community as a whole.

We are confident that the Students First! team: York Chang,
Barbara Brazil, John Du, Cynthia Duarte, Cathy Silverio, Mikako
Kawai, James Hagar, Miho Murai, Steph Nakano and Reyes Valenzuela,
if elected, will set in motion with their vision, experience,
honesty and dedication the type of student government that works
for students rather than isolates itself in its own bureaucracy and
self-indulgence.

These candidates have a plan for undergraduate student
government. Through their STRAIGHT-A Program, they plan to work
collectively to implement concrete programs reconnecting students
to their student government. The Students First! Team has the
following ideas and plans:

"1.) ACCESS ­ Access to education is a right for everyone,
regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic
status, ability, etc. These attacks on our education must stop.
Preserving low fees, full financial aid and affirmative action are
top priorities. We will lobby the UC Regents and other officials to
make them accountable to the students they are supposed to serve.
In addition, we will bring students to the administration, so that
we can more effectively articulate our concerns.

2.) ACADEMICS ­ One thousand students drop out of the
university every year, the forgotten students and victims of
university bureaucracy. Through direct services, we will create a
more responsive, relevant student government. A book-lending
program, lecture notes and exam library, year-round peer counseling
and expansion of the Campus Retention Committee are just a few of
our concrete plans on this issue.

3.) ACTION ­ The only way we can be effective leaders is if
we have the support and backing of students. The Student Action
Chronicle will educate students on issues we need to know about
through effective investigative journalism. Through voter
registration drives, letter-writing campaigns and grass-roots
organizing in the dorms, co-ops and student organizations, we will
bring student government BACK to the students."

We feel this platform is what the UCLA student community needs
right now. So, what can we do?

First of all, as students we must take the responsibility upon
ourselves of changing student government by voting for effective
leadership. If you don’t participate then you have no right to
complain. We believe that we have the power to change student
government. The idea that students are apathetic and unresponsive
is grossly untrue. We know our power and we call on you to use this
opportunity to exert that power.

Will we settle for another year of a disconnected, unresponsive
and ineffective student government, another year of false promises
and disappointment, or will we UNITE and TAKE ACTION? The answer
should be clear. TAKE ACTION NOW! Vote to put Students First!