You may not know, but USAC’s work is important
By Todd Sargent
I must say that Sabrina Smith’s April 21 viewpoint ("Students
must make up for lack of USAC leadership") was very timely
propaganda. In my view, Smith, the former undergraduate external
vice president and presidential candidate, misrepresented the
actions of the undergraduate students association council
members.
It’s bad enough that students don’t even know what goes on with
their student government  largely because the student media
do not apparently find the work that is done of importance. Some
council members do not have the benefit of a free, biased media
that will write articles on hand-fed issues. We must utilize paid
advertising to get the message out  without this, you would
rarely find out what it is we do.
This year, undergraduate student government has done far more
than Smith spoke of in her article. Your student voice has been
empowered through the implementation of the Student Departmental
Senate, which is setting up academic student governments at the
departmental level. We have lobbied for and received a Scholarship
Resource Center for every student at UCLA to use this fall. We
pushed to establish a Student Affairs kiosk system so students can
access their transcripts, financial aid status, registration and
enrollment all at the touch of a screen. We have begun to make
tremendous inroads in parking services, housing and campus
employment. Construction mitigation and beautification. Study
space. Increased student participation in university governance.
These are not issues to be brushed under the table.
Smith would have you believe the only legitimate student
government is one that adopts a philosophy of activism. In my view,
however, when this is done to spite work done within a power
structure, you de-legitimize the student leader. Some of us don’t
believe protests and rallies are necessary for every issue. There
is work to be done that necessitates more than stubborn philosophy.
Remember that work needs to be done on campus as well.
To address a specific issue Smith brought up in her article,
recently the Financial Supports Commission and Internal Vice
President’s Office planned a forum on Parking and Transportation
Services that was a logistical nightmare. We had to coordinate with
administrators’ schedules, room availability and advertisement. In
addition to placing an ad in the Daily Bruin, we passed out
hundreds of flyers on Bruin Walk. And despite the fact that very
few people attended, the information shared at the forum was very
beneficial to all students concerned about parking.
We have seen results from student government involvement this
year in Parking Services. After lobbying for action during the
earlier part of my term, Business Enterprises has instituted a game
plan that will provide 1,300 more parking spaces to students next
year (and 1,400 more in the next five to seven years). When 3,000
students are turned down annually for parking, this is a huge
accomplishment. Due to student government input, Business
Enterprises is making every effort to keep costs down since they
affect student access to parking. I guess you could say it is not a
big deal (especially if you don’t drive) but I think it is. The
undergraduate students association council helped do it.
When Smith says that I have "remained silent of (the) cuts to
federal financial aid," I respectfully disagree. I may not have
participated in external vice president’s office-sponsored
activities, but I was far from silent. I have participated in panel
discussions and talks with university leaders regarding this issue.
I also was the only student leader UC-wide to co-write the UC
Regents Affordability Model for financial aid to prevent literally
millions of dollars of financial burden from being shifted to
student’s backs. There are still parts of the model I disagree with
(like imputed costs for independent students), but in my view, my
voice kept student interests served.
As the undergraduate member for the UC-wide Student Fee Advisory
Committee, I impacted financial aid policy and allocation for the
entire UC system. Because I insisted upon aid being distributed to
campuses according to the proportion of fees paid, UCLA will
benefit tremendously. We will have $10 million more a year in aid
money to distribute once the affordability model is in place. Smith
didn’t include that one, did she?
Smith is correct in stating the possible cuts that are being
made to financial aid. As a student on full financial aid myself, I
feel these effects more acutely than many. I work three jobs to pay
my bills and live. I am really sorry that I don’t have the benefits
that others do to devote exclusively to student government. The
Financial Supports Commission has been able to make tremendous
inroads this year, and in my opinion, is finally an office that
works to provide tangible benefits for all students.
Student government has problems. That is certain. When student
leaders from the undergraduate students association council to
student advocacy groups choose to work separately, we are a
disempowered voice. When general distrusts evolve simply because of
preconceived notions of "who we are," we lose the very fabric that
holds us together as students. Some people would say that the
council is illegitimate unless it centers around student groups. We
must improve relations, but many more people do not even associate
themselves with these student groups. Where do they fit in? Why
can’t UCLA act as more of a "community"? Because some people do not
see the usefulness of it. I do.
The undergraduate students association council cannot answer all
questions or problems, but we sure try. The programs and services
we work on benefit the entire campus community, even though you
probably never hear about them. It’s a shame too, since you might
like what you see.
Question the knowledge you are spoon-fed. What you are hearing
may not be true.
Sargent, the financial supports commissioner, is a senior
political science student.