Tarzan may be running the national government, but Peter Rabbit
is running UCLA’s student government.
At least, “Peter Rabbit” is what one student guessed
on an informal survey that I, with the help of my former editor
Colleen Honigsberg, conducted Friday. The answer was in response to
a question that asked, “Do you know who the president of USAC
is?” Another humorous answer was “Students
First!”
In reply to another question that asked whether the student was
planning to vote in the upcoming election, another student left a
note on the side reading, “There’s an
election?”
This lack of knowledge about student government was very common
among the students we surveyed. Out of 80 students, 72.5 percent
did not know who Undergraduate Students Association Council
President Allende Palma/Saracho was at all, and 50 percent had no
idea what USAC does.
Despite this statistic, 58.3 percent showed at least some
interest in learning about USAC’s functions. Most
importantly, 42.5 percent were planning to vote, and 21.3 percent
were still undecided.
Each slate is running campaigns claiming to represent the
student population and accusing each other of not understanding or
advocating students’ interests. Still, those candidates who I
spoke to either didn’t know of or vaguely remembered that a
survey had recently been conducted to gauge the issue of student
experiences with school government.
The survey I found, the University of California Undergraduate
Experiences Survey, administered at UCLA in 2004, found that 51.8
percent of the survey’s sample population felt they were
“not that well informed,” and that 19.4 percent
described themselves as “not at all informed” about
campus issues and politics.
The survey also gauged satisfaction in other areas of the
educational experience, including quality of life, education and
social experiences. The survey is an easy resource that USAC should
use to gain a sense of what students on campus need and want
improved.
My survey in no way claims to be representative of anything, as
it was administered only on one Friday, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., to
students sitting at various spots on North and South Campus.
However, it whetted my appetite for some sort of quantitative (and
qualitative) research for UCLA. Though any form of statistics can
be plagued by issues of validity, mine give at least a base of
information to analyze, criticize and, hopefully, improve
representation.
Even though my own survey was, at best, a review of some
individual students and their knowledge of USAC, it was at least a
pretext that allowed me to talk to some students and gain a sense
of their opinions.
When asked about surveys to learn of campus trends,
Palma/Saracho tried to appease me by agreeing that statistics can
be useful, but warned me gently that they are costly, bureaucratic
and difficult to set up. He advocated “other avenues”
of reaching students through activities.
“For me, it’s more that they don’t have to
worry about certain issues,” he said. “Because
we’re working on it, we’re trying to make it better for
them … and we’re trying to engage students in the
process.”
When I asked what Palma/Saracho thought of the Bruins United
campaign, which pledges to reach a larger majority of students at
UCLA ““ “a philosophy of ensuring that USAC works for
each and every student,” as its platform suggests,
Palma/Saracho called it “empty rhetoric.”
Alex Gruenberg, the current Financial Supports commissioner and
the Bruins United candidate for president, was not so easily baited
against the other slate. He was careful to say that USAC under
Students First! was successful in varying degrees from program to
program.
For him, “the individual perspectives people (who are on
slates) have … are not what are most important.” Gruenberg
was concerned with the relationship USAC currently has with
students, both on the board as well as those unaffiliated with
student government, and said he wants to foster more productive
relationships with the campus.
“To me, that’s more important than one-shot programs
““ because that’s leadership,” he said.
In terms of statistics, he also saw the problems associated with
surveys (Impossible, I thought ““ different slates, similar
concerns.) However, he expressed interest in my ideas about the use
of statistics.
Though my loyalties were subtly questioned by Palma/Saracho,
this article is not advocating one slate over the other. My concern
is exploring how each slate promises to work for the students,
because I want all students to be represented fairly.
I fear that slates dismiss one another too easily. If Bruins
United should sweep the elections, I would not want the concerns
that SF! voices to be swept under the rug. I don’t want power
to change hands; I want its dynamics to change.
Personally, I would advocate the use of all resources ““
events and activities, as well as satisfaction surveys and other
statistics ““ to reach and understand students beyond our
circles of affiliation, and then to work for their needs.
Maybe I should run. I could have a cute little sign, with my
head next to the words “Vote for Peter Rabbit,” who of
course will be holding an iPod in one hand and the earth with a
miniature UCLA on the top in the other.
Vote for Hashem by e-mailing
nhashem@media.ucla.edu.