Bruin activists discover strength in numbers
Common goal of equal access unites campus groups
By Brooke Olson
Daily Bruin Staff
Activism at UCLA, for more than 75 years, has been documented on
the pages of newspapers across the country. This year is no
exception.
From the massive affirmative action protests, to the
fee-freezing campaign, campus activists have united over a common
goal – equal access to education.
"All of the student groups here have managed to overlook any
conflicts which may have existed before this year," said York
Chang, undergraduate president.
"And especially with the issue of affirmative action, the
students are able to organize, and organize well," Chang said.
Indeed, this large campus organization has not gone unnoticed.
Leaders at other California university’s acknowledged that UCLA is
one of the most united activist campuses in the state.
"The level of activism at UCLA is extremely high and very well
organized," said Peter Nguyen, the UC Davis undergraduate
president. "UCLA students have consistently pursued ideas with
great zeal."
Besides being extremely well organized, other university leaders
said UCLA is at the forefront in issues which affect all of the
campuses.
"UCLA has routinely focused on and led the fight against
university-wide issues, such as affirmative action and fee hikes,"
said Jeffrey Cohen, UC Berkeley’s undergraduate president.
"Berkeley, on the other hand, focuses more on issues which
specifically affect our campus, such as library hours," Cohen
added.
UCLA activist groups contended that it is more important to
focus on university-wide issues because those issues affect
education the most.
"It is important for the students to focus on university-wide
issues because those issues largely affect the campus," said John
Du, the council’s undergraduate external vice president.
"Not only that, but affirmative action and fee hikes affect
everyone on campus, and it’s easier for students to mobilize and
fight on those issues," Du added.
Student leaders emphasized the importance of all campus members
getting involved with politics. Politics, they said, continually
affects a person’s day-to-day living.
"The biggest farce is that you have a choice between being
involved in politics or not," Chang said. "But everything you say
or do is affected by or affects politics."
And activists maintained that students face as many political
challenges as past generations did.
"The oppression of the past continues to exist today," said Max
Espinoza, the chairperson of Movimeinto Estudiantil Chicano de
Aztlán (MEChA).
"Discrimination and oppression continue in things like academic
discourse, admissions, hiring, contracting, etc." Espinoza
said.
Grass roots has been the basis for unity among the campus
organizations, activists said.
"A grass-roots organization … is run (by and for) the people,"
said Levin Sy, the director of Asian Pacific Coalition. "(The
campus) has a tremendous relationship as a grass-roots organization
and student body."
Students’ strengths exist in their numbers, activists said.
"We’re not here to get the administration to like us, we’re here
to get them to respect (us)," Chang said.
One manifestation of these tactics took place last Wednesday,
when approximately 200 students occupied Murphy Hall until
Chancellor Charles Young listened and responded to their
demands.
"We are not going to leave the building until the chancellor
answers to us," said Dominique Lawson, a third-year biology
student, during the student occupation of Murphy Hall.
SHAWN LAKSMI/Daily Bruin
UCLA has set precedence in addressing UC-wide issues with
protests such as this one Feb. 21, in defense of affirmative
action.
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