The Undergraduate Students Association Council reached a new low
Tuesday night during a four-and-a-half-hour partisan fiasco that
ended with the appointment of Adam Pearlman as the new facilities
commissioner.
It doesn’t seem like appointing someone to deal with bad
lights or construction would provide for much controversy, but the
disagreement over David Dahle’s selection had little to do
with the commission itself and more to do with controlling council.
Unless the Students United for Reform and Equality appointed a
commissioner leaning their way ideologically, they would lose
control of council. If Student Empowerment! managed to get a
commissioner leaning its way, it would have dominant control of
council.
Despite the flimsy facades the two council slates tried to
maintain by saying they supported “independents” for
the commission, their ulterior motives were obvious.
Dahle’s first two appointees were voted down, largely by
Empowerment! members supporting Matt Kaczmarek, who currently works
with External Vice President Chris Neal. Dahle refused to appoint
Kaczmarek after Pearlman was voted down the first time. Suzanne Yu,
the community service commissioner and an independent, eventually
changed her vote, ending the debate.
Dahle argued against appointing Kaczmarek on the basis that he
already sat on various boards, limiting his ability to focus on the
facilities commission. How interesting.
Empowerment! councilmembers used this very argument against
Dahle’s appointee for elections board chair earlier this
year. Joseph Vardner already sat on the On-Campus Housing Council
and served as a Transportation Services representative when Dahle
recommended him. Michelle Styczynski, a general representative on
the S.U.R.E. slate, called Vardner a “great
multi-tasker.” Apparently, Styczynski has amended her
position to join Dahle in arguing students who are most active on
campus are less qualified for leadership positions than those who
are not.
Dahle asserted Pearlman was independent. But during the meeting
Helen Seliverstov, a Dahle appointee to the Communications Board of
the Associated Students of UCLA and a former Daily Bruin writer,
went to The Bruin office and requested a picture of Kaczmarek
wearing an Empowerment! shirt to try and show partisanship.
Also during the meeting Dria Fearn, a former S.U.R.E. candidate
defeated last spring, and a current Dahle appointee to the ASUCLA
Board of Directors, was excitedly taking pictures of Pearlman as he
was being sworn in.
Really subtle.
Dahle was no better: after Pearlman was voted down by council,
he vehemently defended him as the best choice for facilities, even
though Pearlman was his second choice. It seemed clear then that
Dahle only proposed Abraham as his first choice so it would appear
he was compromising with Student Empowerment! by giving the nod to
Pearlman, who was probably S.U.R.E.’s top choice all
along.
The Tuesday night debacle demonstrates the need to have
independent, non-voting commissioners appointed by the president.
Weak offices, such as facilities, will never get better so long as
slates use them simply to gain more voting power on council.
Empowerment!’s walking out to protest Dahle’s
partisanship was unprofessional, given it had the same intentions
as Dahle in mind. But as president, Dahle has the added
responsibility of making himself a model for council.
Empowerment! candidates at least admitted they were not hiding
their biases. The professional course of action would have been for
Dahle to do the same.