Monday, May 18
Inauguration proceedings disgust studentBy Sophia PaekI was one
of the few students actually allowed into the chancellor’s
inauguration and I was completely disgusted by what occurred. With
the students seated in the balcony and the dignitaries seated on
the floor, it was clear from the start that there was an effort
made to segregate the students and the dignitaries. As I went up to
the assigned seats, I noticed the police in riot gear with billy
clubs patrolling the hallways and standing outside of the exits.
Seeing police where students were seated and not with the
dignitaries made me question how they planned on dealing with
students during inauguration.As the auditorium began to fill,
students within the building heard students outside yelling "Let us
in," and "Defy Prop. 209!" Suddenly all the police and security
guards ran to the exits and blocked all the doors. Students in the
building ran to the doors to see if students were being assaulted
by the police in the hallway. As students attempted to open the
doors, they were grabbed and forcibly removed by the police. I saw
the police slamming students against the wall and using excessive
force. I was frightened at the brutality that I saw that the UCPD
used against all the protesters, including the women. As a result
of trying to see what was going on outside, most of the students
were kicked out of the building for no reason.It was obvious that
all the speakers, including Mayor Richard Riordan, were not
concerned about the future of diversity. They completely ignored
the devastating affects that Proposition 209 has had on campus,
while praising the chancellor’s "efforts to lead UCLA into the 21st
century."The undergraduate student body president, Kandea Mosley,
expressed to the audience the gravity of the situation, and the
collective student outrage that is felt throughout the campus. Her
remarks were met with snickering, boos and racist remarks from the
administration and dignitaries in the audience. The lack of student
representation in the auditorium created an atmosphere in which
elected student representation could be openly disrespected and
marginalized.Although I was outraged at the actions of our
administration and our chancellor, I was inspired by the dedication
and courage of student demonstrators. Only through collective
action will students be able to challenge our chancellor and
prevent him from resegregating access to UCLA. As a member of the
Affirmative Action Coalition, I encourage all students to come to
the next action on May 19, Westwood Plaza, at 10:30 a.m.