Thursday, 6/5/97 Passing the torch Elected council members for
1997-1998 officially begin their terms
By Stefanie Wong Daily Bruin Staff This year’s undergraduate
student council (USAC) officially saw its end last Tuesday as the
elected members for the 1997-98 council were formally installed.
The evening began in the Charles E. Young Grand Salon, with
speeches from this year’s council members, the swearing in of next
year’s student government and ended with a reception and cultural
performances in the Ackerman Grand Ballroom. Speeches from the
outgoing council members included thank-yous, advice to their
successors, anecdotes and reflections of the past year. Former
internal vice president (IVP) Glenn Inanaga told the story of how
his successor, Carol Lee, at first refused to become his chief of
staff this year because she did not want to become "Queen Peon."
According to Lee, a peon is someone that does all the dirty work
behind the scenes, and fearing that she would be doing much of the
office’s dirty work, she linked her chief of staff position to the
title. After much pleading, Inanaga convinced Lee to work in his
office, and as a result, she is now moving up as next year’s IVP.
Former student welfare commissioner (SWC) Miho Murai gave one of
the more emotionally charged speeches of the night, shedding a few
tears while explaining her attachment to the commission. "SWC is
and has been my family for the past four years," Murai said in her
speech. "I came across SWC one day and since that day I have
devoted most of my time, energy and passion. "I love SWC … I can
say that SWC provided me with the means to empower myself," she
added. Cheers, claps and whistles followed each of the speeches.
Former external vice president Alberto Retana even received a few
"meows" from the audience. In former president John Du’s opening
speech, he explored the need for a responsible government that
addressed the issues of the student body. He also described the
responsibility of the Students First!-dominated council to continue
to meet the political ideology of the slate as he sees described by
the book "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" by Paulo Freire. A quote from
the book reads, "In order for the struggle to have meaning, the
oppressed must not, in seeking to regain their humanity, become in
turn oppressors of the oppressors, but rather restorers of the
humanity of both." According to Du, this quote embodies the mission
of the Students First! slate. "Next year there will be more of a
responsibility, more of a challenge for next year’s council to live
by this quote and make sure we’re responsible in the way that we
govern student government," Du said. "I have complete confidence
that next year’s council will continue the legacy (of Students
First!) and continue the work for social justice," he added.
President Kandea Mosley also addressed the need for a student
government to serve the UCLA undergraduate population. "Student
government each year is given a tremendous responsibility to
represent the voice of the entire student body and prioritize those
issues that affect student life here at UCLA," she said in her
speech. In the installation ceremony’s program, Mosley discussed
the importance the university has in shaping society as a whole.
"The current political situation demands that student leadership
take a strong position towards working to build a university that
continues to be accountable to the interests of the larger Los
Angeles community," Mosley wrote. She believes that in order to
bring about social change, students must have greater access to
education and these issues must be prioritized by the state and
national governments. "As student government, it is our duty to
dedicate ourselves to these higher ethical and political principles
that will serve to promote students’ interests and overall student
life," Mosley wrote. All of the outgoing council members expressed
great confidence in next year’s student government, believing that
USAC next year will continue to effectively serve the student body.
"I’m very confident in next year with Kandea’s leadership and with
a lot of the council members," Du said. "We’re going to have a very
good year in terms of the issues and collective effort and a vision
of dealing with the new chancellor and with the issues of
privatization," he added. While this year’s council members all
expressed approval of their successors, many have mixed feelings
about seeing their own terms come to an end. "I feel sad yet happy
at the same time," Inanaga said. "I know I’m sad because I won’t be
able to come back and finish some of the programs that I’ve been
working on, but I’m happy because I know Carol will be able to
finish those programs and create her own," he added. Members of
next year’s council are looking forward to serving the students,
feeling great pride in being the next group to continue the work of
Students First! "I feel a great sense of camaraderie and
responsibility to make sure the campaign promises that we made are
met," said General Representative Darnell Grisby. "Just seeing the
history and listening to the speakers brought that home. It really
touched me," he added. Next year’s student government has already
begun work on their terms, the first duties being to hire office
staff and make committee appointments. While this year’s council no
longer has any official duties, many have stayed on to help their
successors with their work. Du has been actively working with
Mosley, trying to ease her into the president’s office. He will be
graduating from UCLA this year, ending a university career after
serving as the external vice president and president. "I think my
experiences with USAC and as president has given me the tools that
I need to really go out into the community and continue some of the
things here at UCLA," Du said. "I feel that we were able to affect
change as students and I’m very grateful for being apart of that
change," he added. JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin Incoming Undergraduate
Student Association Council (USAC) president Kandea Mosely is sworn
in as John Du steps down. Related links:Undergraduate Student
Association Council