Many people have characterized this year’s Undergraduate
Students Association Council as weak. This is, after all, the first
time in many years a single slate has not had a voting majority on
council.
I disagree. After chairing many council meetings this summer, my
opinion is this year’s council is not weaker than those of
the past. Even though we have had some very politically charged
meetings over appointments and budget issues, the council as a
whole is collaborating.
The makeup of USAC this year will make discussions longer,
voting more contentious, and meetings more intense, but having
different viewpoints is essential to democratic processes and vital
for representing student interests. Because there is no majority on
council, the most convincing arguments will determine the outcome
of each vote.
For students who are new to campus politics, there are two
slates with five elected members to USAC: Student Empowerment! and
Students United for Reform and Equality. The three remaining USAC
officials campaigned as independents.
This year will be challenging because we have a lower amount of
dispensable funds than councils of the past. To remedy this we have
been meeting regularly to discuss the content of the referendum in
the upcoming week, and how to most effectively campaign for it. All
council members recognize the importance of this fee increase
because USAC offices and groups received substantially less for
this upcoming year than last year, which decreases our advocacy
efforts.
The financial situation that we are facing has led to more
cooperation between the offices because our financial situation
affects every USAC office, every organization that is eligible for
USAC funding, and student fees.
This quarter will be pivotal in working with Transportation
Services and administrators to find the necessary funding for the
BruinGo! program.
The BruinGo! bus program may not be continued next academic year
if students do not raise their concerns about it. BruinGo! must be
continued because it provides transportation to and from campus for
many students who either cannot afford to live close to campus, or
who cannot get a parking pass. All council members recognize the
importance of services like BruinGo! and will fight hard to make it
a sustainable program.
Council members, especially Academic Affairs Commissioner Chris
Diaz, have also been working on academic issues. This year will be
a critical year in the debate over whether UCLA should switch to a
semester system or stay with the current quarter system. Various
groups and committees are gathering information, which will be
compiled into a report that will surface sometime late fall
quarter.
The report will explain the pros and cons of both systems and
will hopefully provide enough information to stimulate on-campus
debate. USAC has provided input for the initial report, and will
help to facilitate the debate this year. A switch from quarter to
semester does not only have major implications for UCLA, but the UC
system as a whole. Therefore USAC will seek to take a leading role
in this issue.
Besides these big issues, USAC will seek to improve campus
safety, especially in light of the many construction projects going
on. Council will support the office of the External Vice President
in increasing student voter turnout, work to keep student fees at a
minimum, and cooperate with student organizations such as SAA to
bring back events which build UCLA spirit and cohesion.
Student government is an essential institution at college
campuses because only students can convey which issues are truly
important to their educational experiences. The 2002-2003 UCLA
council has been working throughout the summer to ensure that we
will have enough input to determine what those issues are.
I am positive this year will be successful because every council
member makes decisions based on what is best for the student body,
and even in our political environment there are many areas for
cooperation.