Wednesday, 5/7/97 Internal Vice President Erin Mills
This decision was perhaps the most difficult one The Bruin
faced. The office of internal vice president is inherently
political in nature. It is The Bruin’s hope that Erin Mills can
impress upon the administration that wins power the need for
greater student participation in government. Mills has passion,
organization, communication skills and ideas for improving student
participation on campus. Increasing the ability of students to
participate in student government is her primary motivation. Mills
has the energetic optimism of a student government newcomer coupled
with a tenacious ambition and willingness to work with other
students. Mills’ proposal for a student senate was her major weak
point. Although her project possesses potential representational
value to UCLA students, she lacked a frustrating amount of details.
Other candidates also proposed similar projects but were likewise
unable to suggest anything concrete. To propose the creation of a
body without knowing how many seats it should have, who should lead
it, whether it will take a policy-guiding or more representational
role is shortsighted. That being said, her familiarity with USAC’s
internal functioning and her ability to think quickly will help her
overcome any lack of details. As for the other candidates, although
James Burkhardt and Carol Lee would bring an untarnished integrity
and an ability to plan, respectively, to the office, it is not
enough to rest on one’s convictions nor on one’s dispassionate
ability to coordinate the resources of UCLA as a whole. Mills
brings both an ability to plan and a vital energy. In her candidacy
rests the full possibility of genuine representation for students
without fear of rubber-stamped approvals or blind stubbornness.