Jamel Greer knows where student government is failing campus organizations, and his passion and clear vision make him the best person to fix it.
The internal vice president’s primary responsibility is to serve as the liaison between the Undergraduate Students Association Council and student organizations, and Greer’s plans to resuscitate this relationship have promise.
The Students First! candidate intends not just to be a communicator in this respect but also to prove to student groups that USAC is invested in them.
The Editorial Board was impressed by Greer’s desire to be inclusive and informed in his representation, a trait he revealed when admitting he would seek student opinions before making decisions.
Through the proposed Student Organization Advisory Panel, Greer wants to create a forum for student groups to discuss their concerns, publicize their events and ask USAC for help when they need it.
As part of his plan to keep a constant dialogue with student groups, organizations would be able to use this new body to decide what they want USAC to do for them.
Despite our criticism that his plan to institutionalize the new Campus Safety Alliance are focused only on the needs of “marginalized” minority communities, he also plans to expand the group’s scope by speaking with university police on behalf of students and incorporating a broader range of issues, such as identity theft and student safety.
This innovative program would “police the police” to improve UCPD-student relations, which some perceive to have weakened since the Taser incident earlier this year.
And as the right-hand man to whomever becomes USAC president (and as the one who will lead in the president’s absence), Greer will be able to transcend slate lines if necessary for the good of the council.
Greer’s opponent, Dianne Tanjuaquio of Bruins United, was uninspiring in comparison.
A number of Tanjuaquio’s plans were solid ideas but seemed too focused on the Hill, from which she draws most of her experience as a resident assistant.
She aims to develop a leadership program on the Hill that would increase the effectiveness of floor government, compile a database with opportunities for student groups to co-program with Office of Residential Life staff and create a resource guide for student groups seeking funding from various Hill entities.
Granted, the internal vice president should be connected to the On Campus Housing Council and ORL, but not to the exclusion of other student groups and campus entities.
A number of Tanjuaquio’s plans, such as centralizing room reservations on campus (a proposal echoed by a number of candidates) and increasing the number of emergency call stations around UCLA are needed changes that next year’s leaders should pursue.
But not all her proposals get our recommendation.
The idea of creating a North Village Neighborhood Watch isn’t bad ““ Westwood could use any kind of presence that deters crime. However, the proposition of labeling apartments and fraternities as “safe houses,” which encourages students who feel unsafe to seek refuge at the dwellings of strangers, seems risky and ill-advised considering that open gathering places for those who feel unsafe would be the first place for predators to go.
Her plans to continue working on mental health awareness are likely to be just as ineffective as her work this year ““ it’s unclear to us what anyone can learn about mental illness through a bounce house in Bruin Plaza, or how a softball tournament can reduce stigma.
With his proven experience in coalition-building and his desire to get USAC and student groups invested in one another, Greer may well be the unifying force, both within council and on campus, that USAC needs for IVP.