Before the quarter is over, the Undergraduate Students
Association Council should step up the tempo of its Tuesday night
meetings to make sure students are aware of current and future
student government initiatives.
The Students First! slate almost swept last year’s
elections, but its members should not become complacent. Their
recent trend of voting by consent, rather than by a show of hands,
is the most obvious example of how homogenous this council has
become. While this may streamline business, it does little to
foster debate.
As elected student officers, USAC members should see their
Tuesday meetings as the best opportunity to inform the UCLA
community of their plans.
USAC’s officers should challenge themselves, even if the
political situation on council is relatively one-sided. Many
promises were made during last year’s campaign, and only some
of them have been fulfilled. Individual commissions are productive,
but the council has yet to use its collective power.
The new USAC-Associated Students of UCLA discussion group and a
project for World AIDS day are some examples of what USAC can
accomplish, but there is still a long way to go before USAC is
visible and relevant to the entire campus community.