Monday, 8/4/97 USAC must delay pay raise to keep trust USAC:
Government bid during students’ absence lacks integrity, may force
program funding cuts
The Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC) officials’
proposal to increase their own stipend rates is very questionable
and cowardly. It seems like they are attempting to avoid the
expected uproar by quietly raising this issue when many students
are not on campus. No one doubts that USAC officials put a lot of
hard work and countless hours into their jobs, but we are wondering
why this important matter is being taken up now when many students
aren’t around. Student government officials say timing is not
important and the political repercussions would be the same whether
they voted now or during the fall. If this is truly the case, then
why can’t they wait until all the students return so they can be a
part of government, which is supposed to serve them? After all,
Students First! is supposed to involve students, isn’t it? Students
First! ran on the platform of making students and their concerns
its top priority. They tout themselves as a grassroots
organization, but by trying to sneak in this issue when few
students are around, they are bypassing the very students they
claim to represent. How can students trust these politicians if
they fall back on what they promised in the spring elections? When
students return in September and learn that the officers voted for
pay increases while they were gone for the summer, government will
look a lot worse than if the students were approached and notified
first. What a way to start out the 1997-98 school year – having
lost the trust of the students! The need for more money is
reasonable; it’s just the way it’s being approached that concerns
us. The officers claim that the main goal for the proposed increase
is to get more students involved in government. They say many are
unable to do so because they need to make money, and the positions
don’t pay enough. Therefore, the increase would allow more students
to participate. But students don’t pursue student government jobs
for the money; it’s more about an interest in politics. An
important aspect of this proposal is political integrity. Remember,
these are elected officials, and their request will only benefit
themselves, and not the people who voted them into office. They
should wait and have the stipend increase take effect for next
year’s officers. This way, integrity won’t be questioned and the
officers will demonstrate a genuine concern for students, and will
not seem self-serving. The money for the stipend increase will come
from cuts in a few areas, and from surplus funds expected later in
the year. The University of California Students Association (UCSA),
which hasn’t been receiving enough money in the past couple years,
relies heavily on these surplus funds. Student groups, which also
get their share of money from the surplus, will be hurt. UCSA,
which lobbies for students at the state level, will be hurt as
well. Again, how will this benefit students? Student government is
ultimately accountable to its constituents, and what’s taking place
contradicts the principles with which the officers came into power.
These questionable actions are inappropriate. Students need to know
what their representatives in USAC are doing for them. Officers
have to cater to students, not themselves, and they must never
forget that. The USAC officials need to quit hiding behind closed
doors during the summer and be up-front about their actions. It’s
in USAC’s best interests to at least wait until the students return
before even talking about this issue further. Previous Daily Bruin
Story: Holding the reins