By Robert Salonga
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF
[email protected]
 TYSON EVANS/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
USAC President David Dahle urges incoming students to join
council staff.
Many incoming Bruins looking to continue their involvement in
student government from high school to college should prepare for a
variety of options at UCLA.
“We do a lot more than what high school governments
do,” said Chris Neal, external vice president of the
Undergraduate Students Association Council.
The 13-member board based in Kerckhoff Hall represents the
largest undergraduate student body in the University of California,
with nearly 24,000 students.
Councilmembers perform a variety of activities ranging from
serving on bodies that decide academic policy to putting on
marathons in support of cancer research.
The chance to get involved in the offices are readily available,
said USAC President David Dahle.
“They can be involved in real world issues,” Dahle
said.
“You can listen about it in a political science class, but
USAC deals with it daily,” he added.
In the next year USAC faces an increase in the number of units
first and second-year students must complete each quarter and a
$30,000 cut from last year’s programming budget.
Students can directly access academic policy through the
Academic Affairs Office, which appoints student representatives to
university-wide bodies like the Academic Senate.
It can expand a person’s UCLA view, said Chris Diaz,
academic affairs commissioner.
“You leave with a better understanding of how the
university operates,” he said.
As EVP, Neal’s office is unique because a substantial
amount of their work done is outside campus ““ working with
national, state and other UC student governments.
Neal has traveled to Sacramento, lobbying to keep student fees
level and keep the BruinGo! bus program.
“This is not accessible to most people, to work on a state
and national level,” Neal said.
All of the offices are accepting applications for staff
positions, and emphasize that on-the-job training is available.
“No experience is needed,” Neal said.
Crisette Leyco heads the Student Welfare Commission, focusing on
health and well-being of students.
Largely a programming commission, the SWC puts on events such as
the annual city-wide Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
dance marathon, the UCLA IronBruin Triathlon and blood drives.
“You can experience organizing large-scale events all over
campus,” Leyco said.
For those interested in putting on entertainment-based events,
the Campus Events Commission headed by Ryan Wilson may be the path
to take. CEC activities include staging free concerts, celebrity
speakers and the movie series in Ackerman Grand Ballroom where
students can view advanced screenings of feature films.
Additionally, student government can lessen the feeling of
impersonality that arises out of attending a large university like
UCLA, Wilson said.
“It creates a smaller community and with staff support
makes for a smaller world on campus,” he said.
The Internal Vice President’s office, led by T.J. Cordero,
handles a multitude of operations including sitting on the
transportation board, representing USAC to the housing
administration, and often serving as the link between council
offices.
Robbie Clark’s Cultural Affairs Commission stages several
programs each year to display the various communities that make up
UCLA, and puts on the well-known annual UCLA JazzReggae
Festival.
The Community Service Commission houses the largest number of
subcommittees of all the USAC offices and sponsors numerous
outreach and tutorial efforts throughout Los Angeles.
Students can also look to the Facilities Commission ““
which works to maintain student-frequented buildings on campus
““ and the Financial Supports Commission, which puts on
programs like the student book-lending program.
But like many extracurricular activities, students will have to
play the balancing act between academics and involvement. USAC is
flexible to this reality.
“You can put as much time as you have, even it if it means
being lightly involved,” said General Representative Adam
Harmetz.