At a time when confidence in the Undergraduate Student Association Council has been shaken by deceit and corruption, President Gabe Rose has the opportunity to appoint a new general representative who can provide a much-needed breath of fresh air.
Yet though the council claims to be hoping for a broad range of applicants, the process seems to be playing by the same game of slate loyalty demanded by the USAC hierarchy during spring elections.
Except this time, there will be no general election ““ the undergraduate population has no official say in the matter. And with a possible Bruins United two-thirds super-majority at stake, partisan conflict seems inevitable, regardless of the new general representative’s party.
Therefore Rose and his council would be wise to abandon USAC’s traditional “spoils system,” similar to the one in national politics and consider appointing a highly qualified candidate who may not have any USAC experience.
Because above all, students must have a representative whom they can respect and who will act in their best interests, not in the interests of stagnant partisan politics.
Though the only official qualifications for the position are a 2.0 GPA and enrollment in 4 units ““ which seems to apply to almost any student with a pulse ““ USAC members from different parties expressed eerily similar important criteria.
“We’re looking for someone with a knowledge of USAC who can come in and still accomplish something in the short remaining time. That’s the primary qualification,” said Rose, a member of Bruins United.
Greg Cendana, a former internal vice president and presidential candidate from Students First! who was defeated by Rose, also stressed the importance of USAC involvement due to the short remaining time.
“I think an extensive knowledge of USAC is important. This is a difficult job to do in one year, and with just over a quarter, what could they get done?” Cendana said.
Not surprisingly, three of the five written questions on the application are about students’ knowledge about USAC, their experience working within USAC and what goals they have as a USAC general representative.
But how important is this in order to be on board? It seems that the ideal candidate would be one who is able to read the pulse of UCLA, delegate tasks well and work with people. Surely there are those not involved in USAC who would be capable of doing this.
Upon further investigation it becomes clear that by demanding that applicants already be involved in USAC, the pool becomes narrowed.
For example, Cendana said he plans to write a letter supporting Mae Cauguiran, a former Students First! candidate for general representative who was defeated last spring.
And though they haven’t mentioned any names, I would venture a guess that Bruins United council members have picked some inside favorites.
This is a common practice during spring USAC elections. Nominations of slate candidates take place in closed meetings and often end in the selection of people already working in USAC offices.
Yet regardless of whether the applicant who is appointed is a member of Students First! or Bruins United, the heavily-Bruins United council faces a catch-22, making increased party tensions almost unavoidable with the appointment of a USAC insider.
The council can select a candidate from its own party, and gain a two-thirds super-majority, which will allow them to amend USAC’s constitutional bylaws and essentially push through party agenda items with ease.
However, such a move may be seen as an attempt by Bruins United to gain significant control over student government. Rose contends that this would not be the case.
“This is really not about getting the ability to ram things down people’s throats. … A lot of the times opinions differ and votes split within parties,” he said.
On the other hand, they may appoint a Students First! candidate in a public display of bipartisanship. Yet this may cause internal conflict within the party if qualified Bruins United candidates are overlooked, and Bruins United would be giving up a valuable vote.
By appointing an outsider, such political traps can be avoided. Neither party will win or lose, but the council will be better off with an additional member who can think critically.
Though there are only four months left in the current council’s term, they have an opportunity to leave a lasting impression on the student body.
It may take an outsider longer to become acclimated to the ins and outs of the USAC system, but by abandoning the spoils system and seriously considering qualified candidates who may or may not have previous USAC affiliations, the council will regain students’ trust and faith in their student government.
General Representative applications are due today at 5 p.m. in Kerckhoff 317. Send comments to Noble at bnoble@media.ucla.edu.