Wednesday, January 27, 1999
USAC causes should reflect Bruin interests
STUDENTS: While officers’ efforts noble, they need to resolve
campus issues first
It’s time for student government to focus.
There are numerous political and social ills student government
officials may hope to cure, but there are also several real
concerns in our own backyard that the Undergraduate Students
Association Council (USAC) has yet to adequately address. After
all, dorm residents continue to live under less-than-favorable
conditions, the much-touted booklending program has yet to reach
fruition, and there still is no general education diversity
requirement at UCLA. These are just some of the many issues that
directly affect students on this campus.
Yet these problems remain unresolved and pushed aside for more
"noble" causes. USAC members have sponsored programs to "raise
awareness" on campus, such as the week-long Hate Crimes campaign,
the Miseducation Tour, which uncovered myths surrounding
affirmative action and the prison industrial complex, and the 100
Years of Resistance Conference which spoke of U.S. imperialism in
Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.
Last year, the members of the Praxis slate, which dominates the
current council’s political offices, rode into office on the
coattails of a strong statewide affirmative action movement. The
elected officers promised to educate and raise the consciousness of
the student body while also concentrating on issues which directly
impacted students.
But, while USAC members may have succeeded in educating students
with such programs, they have fallen short of fulfilling their
primary responsibilities – that is, helping resolve student
concerns on campus.
UCLA students have real concerns; they need tangible solutions
from the students who were elected to represent them. While student
government officers may not be able to immediately find solutions
to the overcrowded dorms, classrooms, dining halls and parking
lots, officers need to exert their influence toward improving the
lives of students. The booklending program was created a few years
back to loan expensive textbooks to students who could not afford
the hefty price tags. The program is a good cause, but it has
received limited support.
Officers demonstrated in the past that they possess the energy
and motivation to devote themselves to causes such as launching an
anti-209 campaign. They took over campus buildings and asked the
chancellor not to comply with the implementation of Proposition
209.
The current council should exercise this same kind of
determination in order to reach more feasible goals. If USAC can
ask Chancellor Carnesale to defy a state law, then they should be
able to ask Carnesale to increase funding for the booklending
program – he is more likely to do the latter.
Although USAC members have only one year to fight for their
goals, they have thus far concentrated most of their efforts on
only lofty goals. USAC might not consider smaller, campus issues to
be as significant as overcoming the prison-industrial complex, but
they are issues that, if given time and effort, can have
substantial effects on the student body at large.
All students, irrespective of their personal politics, should
feel as if student government is working for them. Students would
be more likely to get involved in council affairs if government
programs yielded benefits.
Student government officers are elected by students and their
funding comes from student fees. They have a responsibility to
listen to and work toward meeting the needs of the students they
represent.
Comments, feedback, problems?
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