Only a week into its term, the new undergraduate student council is already proving just how malleable their promises and integrity are.
This Editorial Board has been an ardent supporter of formalizing the fair distribution of office space in Kerckhoff Hall through a set of strict application guidelines and formation of the Office Space Allocation Committee.
But we are wholeheartedly against the Undergraduate Students Association Council bypassing those regulations the first time they are used just because council is afraid to look bad by taking an office away from the Disabled Students Union.
The bottom line is that the Disabled Students Union is ineligible to apply for ““ and hence receive ““ office space. And all of this is because several years ago the Bruins United slate (which currently holds a majority on council) was founded in part on the principle that office space should be divided in a fair and equitable manner.
Based on the fact that disabled students are marginalized, it seems as if councilmembers are actively seeking to circumvent their slate’s own rules.
To be eligible for space, a student organization must be well-established on campus ““ the Office Space Allocation Committee attempts to quantify this through criteria such as how many years they have been active registered student groups and have received funding, so they can make fair, point-based comparisons.
The Disabled Students Union is ineligible because it just re-formed after several years of inactivity.
There are over 800 registered student groups on campus. There is no explanation for why the Disabled Students Union should receive special treatment.
With elections only two weeks ago, it’s nice to see everyone reneging on all of the principles they ran their campaigns on. This is a heartening reminder that our student government is actually just like the rest of American politics: full of people beholden to special interests who would rather throw governing rules and regulations to the wind than damage their reputations ““ democracy be damned.
If the new council chooses to start its tenure by completely ignoring their prized office space allocation guidelines, they’re no different than the special interest-plagued Students First! slate (especially because Bruins United was founded to oust Students First!).
Will USAC look bad when they take an office away from disabled students? Of course.
But the Disabled Students Union isn’t alone in being at risk of losing their office ““ Rally Committee also did not receive a recommendation from the Office Space Allocation Committee.
Maybe Rally Committee’s school-spirit angle was just the wrong basis for a student group ““ maybe their elected representatives would care a little more about them if they were underrepresented minorities or some other socially sympathetic organization that would inspire USAC to fear backlash.
It’s unfortunate that any student group would have to lose office space, but it needs to be kept in mind that the Disabled Students Union could lose their space for a good reason.
If USAC chooses to give the Disabled Students Union office space, in spite of their ineligibility, it sets a dangerous precedent not just for the next year of the new council’s term, but for the future of allocating scarce office space resources fairly.
If this is the level of integrity we can expect from our new councilmembers, this USAC term is going to be a long year for UCLA and its students.