Complacency, miscommunication resulted in EVP
ouster
Thumbs down to the Undergraduate Students Association Council
and administrative representative Lyle Timmerman for not following
procedures required by the USAC bylaws. Timmerman misinterpreted
USAC bylaws in the process of removing External Vice President
Portia Pedro. Yet council members, especially President Elizabeth
Houston, are also at fault for their complacency. Council members
have an obligation to be more vigilant to ensure the bylaws are not
misinterpreted.
Under USAC bylaws, an ineligible officer should have been
removed from office “within five school days of notification
to USAC.” When Timmerman learned of Pedro’s
ineligibility, he notified Houston and gave Pedro five school days
to prove her eligibility. Though elsewhere in the bylaws,
“USAC” clearly refers to the entire council, in this
situation, Timmerman loosely interpreted “USAC” to mean
only the president. Both Timmerman and Houston are at fault for not
alerting the council of the issue as soon as they became aware of
the situation.
Timmerman also overstepped his bounds as an administrative
representative by offering his opinion in an e-mail message written
to the council.
By characterizing Pedro’s actions after being declared
ineligible as “misguided” and “selfish,”
Timmerman leaves little doubt the bylaws were not applied
neutrally. Personal bias, especially by the administrative
representative, should not influence the removal of a
student-elected representative.
Still, this does not excuse the council’s complacency when
they did learn of Pedro’s ineligibility. Members failed to
question Timmerman’s and Houston’s actions though they
should have shown more concern when they were finally notified.
Council members should have examined their bylaws and questioned
the procedure because they must ensure proper procedures are
followed. It is their duty as elected student representatives to
take an active role in USAC, and question any removal of another
elected officer.
Houston, too, needs to realize her responsibility as president
to uphold procedures outlined in the bylaws and to include the
student-elected council in matters of this magnitude. Likewise,
Timmerman needs to have a clear idea of how far the boundaries of
his job extend and should avoid personal bias and loose
interpretation of USAC bylaws.
L.A. no longer supports Boy Scouts
Thumbs up to the Los Angeles City Council for breaking ties with
the Boy Scouts of America last week after deciding the city should
not support the Scouts’ discriminatory policies.
This action comes in light of the Supreme Court decision earlier
this year allowing the Boy Scouts to exclude homosexuals.
The Boy Scouts program surely serves to benefit many boys in the
community. It is unfortunate these young boys are ultimately the
ones punished for their leaders’ intolerant and homophobic
attitudes. The organization’s leaders should realize their
bigotry only hurts the boys they serve and denies them positive,
tolerant role models. Fortunately, the City of Los Angeles refuses
to support the Scouts’ discriminatory views.
Written evaluations make the grade
Thumbs up to UC Santa Cruz for rejecting a proposal that would
have ended written evaluations accompanying students’ grades.
UCSC remains the only UC campus that requires professors to write
evaluations of their students at the end of each term.
Such a grading system ensures students receive direct feedback
on their class performance and fosters an environment where
students are personally addressed, rather than treated as a number.
Evaluations encourage students to learn for learning’s sake,
rather than simply working for the highest letter grade
possible.
Though it is unrealistic for a school the size of UCLA to
require professors to write an evaluation of each student in their
class, we’re glad other schools small enough to support such
a system are doing so.
Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down represents the majority opinion of the
Daily Bruin Editorial Board. Send feedback to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.