ByMy Yen La and Robert
Salonga
Daily Bruin Reporters
Members of the Undergraduate Students Association Council have
different agendas depending on the office they’re running
for, but two of these positions are considering the same issue
““ lowering student fees.
Among other items on their platforms, some candidates for
facilities and financial supports commissioner are campaigning to
lower parking fees.
Jeremy McKenzie and Narges Pisheh are contending the position of
facilities commissioner.
The facilities commissioner advocates on behalf of students to
the administration in non-academic matters such as housing,
facilities, parking and safety. The commissioner chairs the Office
Space Allocation Committee and represents USAC to the On-Campus
Housing Council.
McKenzie, a S.U.R.E. slate candidate and chief of staff under
current Facilities Commissioner Steve Davey, says his number one
priority is to inform students about facilities available to them.
S.U.R.E. stands for Students United for Reform and Equality.
“The average Bruin doesn’t know or care about
USAC,” said McKenzie, a third-year political science student.
“I want to educate and publicize to the student.
“I’ll be their champion to the
administration,” he said.
Pisheh, an independent candidate, said she can be more
responsive to student needs than the current commission.
“I can take over the job and make some positive
changes,” said Pisheh, a third-year political science and
psychology student.
Both McKenzie and Pisheh plan to expand the BruinGo! Program,
which offers UCLA students and faculty free fare on the Big Blue
Bus. They also want to work with university police and the Center
for Women and Men to promote safety awareness.
In addition, both plan to make the campus more well-lit.
McKenzie, who has worked for USAC the past two years, hopes to
start forums for students and work with Capital Programs to provide
students with construction updates.
He also plans to work with the Center for Student Programming to
ensure that the Student Programs, Activities and Resource Complex
referendum ““ passed by students in 2000 to expand the
Men’s Gym and the John Wooden Center through increased
student fees ““ is realized. He wants to maintain facilities
for groups who currently have them and ensure facilities are
available for other groups next year.
McKenzie also wants to continue working on a proposal to alter
seating arrangements in Pauley Pavilion.
“I want students to have the best seats in the
house,” he said.
Some of Pisheh’s plans include decreasing student parking
rates, installing more security boxes, having maps of security
boxes around campus, and establishing a Web site where people can
report hate crimes.
“People are scared to report hate crimes,” she
said.
Pisheh, who served as vice president of the Santa Monica College
Associated Students, plans to lobby to the administration to
prevent the building of a parking lot on the intramural field, as
it would increase noise levels and create problems for residence
halls, she said.
Pisheh also plans to create an advisory committee composed of
all student organizations and to work closely with the Associated
Students of UCLA to address concerns.
Students running for financial supports commissioner will be
responsible for improving various conditions on campus, including
financial aid.
Candidates Kim Coss, Andrew LaFlamme and Suzanna Minasian
addressed a recent decision by the Bush administration to deny
financial aid to students convicted of drug possession.
A question on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid asks
applicants about their drug history. Students often left the
question blank in the past, but they now have two chances to answer
it, or they will be denied aid.
First-time drug offenders will be denied aid for one year,
second-time offenders for two years and third-time offenders will
lose aid indefinitely.
“People who have had troubles in their past don’t
need another roadblock in their way,” said LaFlamme, a
second-year biology student who is running independently. “I
don’t see how it would help anyone trying to better their
situation.”
But Minasian, a first-year political science student, said
offending students should first alleviate their drug problems
before receiving aid.
“They should not be given financial aid until they meet
the requirements of being educated about drug abuse,” said
Minasian, who is running on the S.U.R.E. slate.
Coss, a third-year political science and history student running
on the Student Empowerment! slate, stressed the importance of
providing options for offenders.
“I would let students know the requirements (for financial
aid) and let them make their own informed decisions,” said
Coss, who is the current chief of staff for the financial supports
commission.
Responsibilities of the financial supports commission, as stated
in the USAC bylaws, include working to solve and improve conditions
in the areas of employment, financial aid, housing and parking.
Coss plans to work extensively with the On-Campus Housing
Council to improve the G Plan, a payment option for students that
coordinates housing costs to be billed when they receive their
financial aid payments.
“Students still have to pay $400 out of pocket. I’d
like to work to reduce this cost, because this money could be used
for things like books,” she said.
She would also like to co-program with the Campus Retention
Committee ““ of which she will have a seat if elected ““
to promote its mission statement of emphasizing a holistic
education for students.
Coss said she hopes to expand the book-lending program
established by the current financial supports commissioner, which
lends textbooks to students with financial difficulties.
Minasian, a public relations diplomat for the USAC office of the
president, also addressed the book-lending program, saying she
would like to better advertise it.
In addition, she wants to eliminate taxes on textbooks, push for
university-subsidized off-campus housing, increase the value of
meal coupons and increase the number of parking permits available
to students through a cooperative parking system.
“When one student leaves, another can take his or her
place. Not every student comes to school every day,” Minasian
said.
LaFlamme said he is glad BruinGo! ““ the free busing
program for UCLA students and faculty ““ will continue next
year, and hopes to work toward its expansion.
He also advocated for the expansion of the Scholarship Resource
Center, from the residence halls to the rest of campus.
Additionally, he wants to ensure summer financial aid can be
applied to other UCs.
“Aid needs to be expanded to all UCs. For instance,
students who live in Northern California don’t have many
options to use their aid elsewhere,” he said.
FACILITIES COMMISSIONER Jeremy
McKenzie Narges Pisheh
Slate: S.U.R.E Ideas:
- Work with Capital Programs to provide construction updates
- Ensure goals of SPARC referndum are realized
- Alter seating arrangement in Pauley Pavillion
Slate: none Ideas:
- Decrease student parking rates
- Install more security boxes and have maps of security boxes on
campus - Lobby against building a parking lot on the intramural
field - Establish a Web site for reporting hate crimes
- Create advisory committee comprised of all organizations
FINANCIAL SUPPORTS COMMISSIONER Kim
Coss Andrew LaFlamme Suzanna
Minasian Slate: Student Empowerment!
Ideas:
- Expand book lending program
- Reduce out-of-pocket housing costs for students on financial
aid - Co-program with Campus Retention Committee to emphasize
holistic education
Slate: none Ideas:
- Expand BruinGo! bus program
- Expand Scholarship Resource Center to rest of campus
- Increase versatility of summer financial aid to other UCs
Slate: S.U.R.E Ideas:
- Push for university-subsidized off-campus housing
- Increase value of meal coupons
- Eliminate taxes on textbooks
- Increase number of parking permits available to students
SOURCE: Candidates Original graphic by VICTOR CHEN/Daily Bruin
Web adaptation by ROB HOM & BEN TSENG