In what may be a violation of university policy, the Students
First! slate currently has a Web site that contains the UCLA
trademark in the URL, and though the slate has begun use of a new
address, the site can be still accessed through the original
address.
According to the student code of conduct, only officially
recognized student organizations can use the UCLA trademark in its
name ““ this rule would not include a political slate such as
Students First! that is not registered with the Center for Student
Programming.
Some Students First! fliers for the Undergraduate Students
Association Council elections that were handed out last week
contained the new address while others contained the old one. Both
addresses are still operative.
“I know that this was likely not an appropriate use of the
UCLA title,” said Dean of Students Robert Naples.
In the past, students who have used the UCLA name in their Web
addresses have been required to take the site down, Naples
said.
The issue was brought to light when Michi Kono, an independent
candidate for general representative, informed the administration
and the Elections Board of his concerns.
“It’s an unfair campaign advantage, on top of being
illegal,” Kono said, adding that the association between the
university and the slate may make students more likely to vote for
Students First! candidates.
Naples also voiced a similar concern and said the administration
would look into how the Web site URL might affect the
elections.
“To me, it’s kind of like ignoring the
administration,” Kono said, adding that if the race was close
in the upcoming election, he would bring the issue to the
E-board.
After Students First! was informed by Center for Student
Programming representatives that there was a problem with the Web
site, the URL was changed, and it no longer contains the UCLA
trademark, said Matt Kaczmarek, USAC external vice president and
campaign manager for the slate.
The original Web site is still accessible, but it will not be
advertised on any fliers and is meant to redirect visitors to the
new site, Kaczmarek said, adding that he didn’t believe
Students First! was in violation of the code of conduct.
It is also unlikely that the E-board would be able to take any
official action against the Students First! campaign, said Roy
Samaan, chairman of the elections board.
“It’s not really a violation of the election code,
so there’s not really much we can do about it,” Samaan
said.