USAC Candidate Statements Katheryn
Klein S.U.R.E. I am Katie Klein, and as academic affairs
commissioner I will be an advocate for all current students who
have worked hard to be here, as well as potential students who
would like the opportunity to attend UCLA. My primary concern is to
keep students informed of the academic resources and issues that
directly affect their daily lives.
Currently, I am the president of the Political Science Student
Organization. For the past three years, I have been the student
representative at faculty and executive board meetings, where I
consult with professors on educational policy. I have also acted as
a student senator to facilitate the emergence of academic, ethnic
and religious student groups.
My extensive experience with working on behalf of students to
promote beneficial academic programs has shown me how essential it
is for students to have a voice and an advocate to make sure their
interests are served.
As the student population grows, I will actively lobby to ensure
that students are able to enroll in the classes they need. The
administration may raise the minimum course load from 12 to 13
units per quarter for students in the College of Letters &
Science. I will support a fair and even re-uniting process across
all majors to protect students from being academically
disadvantaged.
In an effort to increase student involvement, I will coordinate
forums for academic campus resources and student organizations to
gather together and reach out to incoming freshmen, first-year
transfers and all other students who wish to get involved.
I plan to work closely with the Student Retention Center and the
Academic Senate to promote outreach and provide equal access to
tutoring and counselors for every student.
My service as academic affairs commissioner will be guided by
the principles of reform, representation and accountability to
improve the quality of academic programs for all students.
Bryant Tan Student Empowerment We are all here
to get the most from our education. Whether we’re studying
engineering, art, history or ethnic studies, we are here to learn
““ not only from our classes, but from the people and
communities around us. Student Empowerment! stands for the
empowerment of all students by engaging each other to take active
roles in our education.
My main goal as academic affairs commissioner is to help
facilitate our empowerment as students. By helping to develop more
comprehensive admissions criteria, continuing the struggle for a
relevant education and a diversity requirement and enhancing our
learning beyond the classroom through round-table discussions like
“Food for Thought,” I plan to actively engage our
campus into playing a bigger role in our education.
Through my involvement with the Concerned Asian Pacific-Islander
Students for Action (CAPSA), my current position as external
director of the Asian Pacific Coalition (comprised of 19 Asian
American and Pacific Islander organizations), and as a resident
assistant in Sproul Hall, I have been able to interact with and to
serve students from many different backgrounds and perspectives. My
experience has allowed me to understand that progress only happens
through student voices in the decision-making process.
Working with the current academic affairs commissioner
throughout the year has also enabled me to understand the
importance of student- initiated outreach and retention. We need to
provide greater resources for these projects, so that students can
help future generations have greater access to higher
education.
Each of us has the power to influence change in this university
and in the communities around us. Collectively, we can be the
change we wish to see in the world. As academic affairs
commissioner, I want to help actualize that change and help all of
us determine the meaning and purpose of our education through
Student Empowerment!