KEITH ENRIQUEZ/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Members of
Samahang Pilipino model traditional attire, which they also wore
during the group’s culture night in May.
By Rachel Makabi
Daily Bruin Contributor
Photos by Priya Sharma, Keith
Enriquez, Jana Summers, Ed
Rhee
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Many students coming from a small high school or junior college
to a large university join organizations to help them find a more
personal community within the campus.
At UCLA, where more than 500 organizations exist, students who
don’t find their interests in an already-established group
can create their own, said Michael Cohn, student affairs officer
for the Center for
Student Programming, which manages and provides assistance to
such groups.
“To start an organization at UCLA is very, very
easy,” Cohn said.
During the 2000-01 school year, Shahrooz Eshaghian reinstated a
campus chapter of the American Medical Student Association, which
focuses on career options in public health.
“The key to succeeding here is to get involved early so
that you don’t become just another ID number.” said
Eshaghian, a third-year psychobiology student. “This is a
huge campus, but you have to make it smaller and more personal for
yourself.”
 Second-year urban planning graduate student Sonja
El-Wahil participates in the Environmental
Coalition’s die-in for Burma held in the spring.
A group can either be independent, such as religious or
political organizations, or officially registered with a campus
sponsor.
An independent group requires any combination of three students,
faculty or staff to state their interest in starting the group, and
completion of a one-page registration form. These groups do not
receive office space, nor can they apply for most campus
funding.
On the other hand, an officially recognized group requires a
signature from a department chair and advisor in addition to the
three signatures of interested members. These groups can apply for
campus funding, use campus facilities and affiliate themselves with
UCLA and its logo.
 Third-year business student Joe
O’Boyle and third-year philosophy student
Nelson Amador gather around the table in the play
“Fussball.”
According to a 1999 study by the University of Western
Australia, those who participate in student organizations gain
leadership experiences that lead to success in future studies and
employment.
“You make a lot of friends and you learn a lot of
different skills that you wouldn’t have otherwise, like
making proposals and managing the budget,” said Craig Newman,
vice-chair of the African Student Union. “This stuff is
all-important if someone wants to go into business or study
economics.”
 Undergraduate Students Association Council President
Karren Lane speaks with Lt. Gov. Cruz
Bustamante about affirmative action on the steps of
Ackerman in March.
Newman, a fourth-year American literature student, said he
decided to join ASU because of its outreach efforts to the
community.
One of the larger groups on campus, ASU is a cultural,
educational and advocacy organization which joined others in
rallying for the recent repeal of SP-1 and 2 ““ University of
California policies that eliminated affirmative action for six
years.
Despite the large size of the group, Newman said it is not
difficult for students to have their voices heard if they attend
staff meetings.
But Esther Tseng, president of the Association of Chinese
Americans, said the large size of ACA complicates matters when
members are trying to pass items on the agenda.
 Third-year political science and Chicano studies student
Yolanda Pendeda teaches a workshop called
“Better alone than in bad company.”
“Although we were able to offer our own input on issues,
we still have such diverse beliefs, even within the group,”
said Tseng, a fourth-year economics student. “At times, it
was difficult to mobilize everyone into one direction.”
While Tseng said the group’s size made it difficult to get
things accomplished, attending sessions or events enabled her to
know more members than she would otherwise.
Recent events hosted by ACA include plays, a Firecracker Run to
commemorate the Chinese New Year and cultural nights with ethnic
food. Involvement in the group, Tseng said, has allowed her to
explore her own roots and identify with people who share a similar
background.
 Ryan Callis and Tim
McMullen spray paint a board at the Veritas forum in the
spring. Melanie Ho, a fourth-year policy and media studies student,
said she joined Bruin Democrats to meet other people concerned with
politics. During the 2000-01 school year, the group co-sponsored a
city council forum for local candidates from District Five, which
includes areas of Los Angeles, such as Van Nuys, Bel Air, Westwood
and Century City.
After discovering the group on BruinWalk her freshman year, Ho
immediately became an officer and its Web site creator.
“A campus as large as UCLA intimidates a lot of
people,” she said. “Student groups are an excellent
(way) to find a place where your voice is heard and you can make
friends.”