Last year, Homaira Hosseini promised to bring transparency and efficiency to the Undergraduate Students Association Council.
However, a quarter of the way into her term, she has failed at one of the most important responsibilities allotted her: appointing students to dozens of policy-making committees.
Out of more than 60 appointments, she has made fewer than 15.
Committees such as the Student Fee Advisory Committee, the Wooden Center Board of Governors and the Office Space Allocation Committee stand empty with no student representation.
These committees that her predecessors fought with the administration to gain representation for remain empty.
On top of that, for the appointments she did make, Hosseini chose unqualified candidates and tried to slip them through by attempting to avoid holding interviews and giving the Appointment Review Committee their applications only hours, instead of the bylaw-mandated days, ahead of time.
While she may have promised transparency, her actions speak louder, and they say that Students First! cares more about pleasing their friends instead of picking the best people for the job.
The committees that Hosseini has chosen to ignore are a vital tool for students to empower themselves and have a voice to the administration.
By ignoring the appointments that her friends were not interested in, Hosseini risks losing student voice and student representation on committees and boards that affect every student at UCLA.
Lyon is a fourth-year political science student and was a former USAC general representative under the Bruins United slate. She is currently president of Hillel at UCLA and a resident assistant for the Office of Residential Life.