There are three candidates running for USAC President this year,
but there is only one real option. Katynja McCory, a fourth-year
political science student and a current General Representative, is
the only candidate with the experience and knowledge necessary to
lead the council and the student body as a whole.
The other two candidates, Jason Lautenschleger and Elizabeth
Houston, have little or no experience in student government.
Neither demonstrated the slightest understanding of how the council
works and what it takes to be USAC President.
McCory has held leadership positions in student government,
student-initiated outreach programs and the African Student Union.
She chose to run for USAC rather than chair of ASU because she says
she wants to represent and serve all students in the coming
year.
Life experiences have certainly played an important role in
shaping McCory’s outlook, and she expresses her feelings with
passion and composure.
Because of her experience within and without UCLA, McCory is
well-versed on the vital issues of diversity and equal access. She
is also the only presidential candidate who understands the role of
the Associated Students of UCLA, and recognizes the gravity of its
current financial situation.
Unlike McCory, the other two candidates are nowhere near
prepared to take on such an important position.
Judging from the fact that Jason Lautenschleger has never
attended a USAC meeting in his four years at UCLA, it’s not
surprising that he has such a warped view of the issues surrounding
student government. Not only is Lautenschleger unfamiliar with laws
dealing with the distribution of student activity fees, but he is
insensitive to the diversity that makes this campus such a dynamic
place.
In his candidate statement, Lautenschleger wrote, “Before
we can hope to fight prejudice in the world, we must eliminate the
discordant opinions that are so widely publicized on campus.”
He also suggested the distribution of funds based on
“merit.” Lautenschleger doesn’t want to be
president of USAC; he wants to be its dictator.
Although Elizabeth Houston may have her heart in the right
place, she has no knowledge of the council’s structure and
little familiarity with the campus culture at UCLA. Her
understanding of diversity issues is surface-level at best, and
like General Representative candidates Katrina Eiland and Kendra
Striegler, she has a narrow agenda that will do little to resolve
the major problems facing undergraduates at this university.
McCory is the only presidential candidate in any position to
hold such an important office. But she herself, is not perfect. For
better or worse, she represents the Praxis slate in its purest
form.
If students don’t want a leader who yells in the face of
the chancellor or storms Murphy Hall, then they may not be happy
with a McCory presidency.
In the past, McCory has shown the ability to operate on multiple
levels, working with administrators as well as participating in
protests. She must not forget that Praxis and the university do
have the same ultimate goal ““ to increase the number of
underrepresented students at UCLA.
By engaging all members of the UCLA community in the pursuit of
equal access, McCory can help mend the disunity in the
undergraduate population that has been sadly demonstrated during
this election. And she can truly represent all students, as she
hopes to do.