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By Marcelle Richards
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
In an assumed victory, all three uncontested Graduate Students
Association officers will take their posts as a controversial
Student Interest Board ousts many student groups from voting seats
at meetings.
According to GSA election results released Thursday, the
referendum to create the interest board passed by about 200 votes.
The board will displace four of the six standing interest groups
that used to hold one vote each. Those groups will now be lumped
together to share two votes total.
The referendum does not outline logistics as to how these groups
should decide how votes will be cast or by whom.
The author, Engineering GSA President Naser Hamdi, felt the
interest groups give many students double or triple representation
in forum.
Opponents of the referendum argue that these groups ““
representative of everything from housing to ethnic populations
““ have individual needs that cannot realistically operate
under one voting body.
The GSA Forum is divided into two parts: the student interest
groups and the academic council, which represents students by
department. Historically, interest groups joined the forum because
they felt the academic council was insufficient.
This was the case with the Native American GSA, which joined the
forum last year and will now lose its voting autonomy.
While student groups adjust to the structural change, newly
elected Vice President External Hanish Rathod will move into his
new office as Alain Dang bids a final goodbye to the position.
Returning for another year in the same roles are President
Charles Harless and Vice President Internal Dorothy Kim.
For the second year in a row, GSA met its 10 percent voter
turnout minimum to pass referenda. Voter turnout barely hit the 15
percent mark, unchanged from last year.
Despite gift certificate giveaways, free coffee coupons and
increased publicity, elections board chair Mike Moradian said the
turnout indicates that only about 15 percent of the population is
active.
The turnout was still good enough to approve a referendum to
increase GSA member fees from $7 to $10 next year, which will rise
$1 each year thereafter, bringing the amount to $13 in 2005.
Also approved is the creation of the vice president of academic
affairs office. This officer will be elected in the next GSA
election.
The ballot’s poll results show student support for the
continuation of BruinGo! and preference for the semester system.
The majority of voters also indicated they were moderately
satisfied with UCLA health care services.