Coming to UCLA with a wide range of experiences and aspirations, we all strive to get the most out of our years here in Westwood. There are so many incredible opportunities to take advantage of, whether they be studying hard (and possibly partying harder), going to athletic events or getting involved in a variety of student organizations.
Nevertheless, as much as I love UCLA, we still have room to grow. There are always improvements to be made, and the Undergraduate Students Association Council should always be a forum for student-led development. With that said, Bruins United has stood for great progression in the past and continues to plan for the future of USAC.
“¢bull; Transparent funding for all student organizations
“¢bull; Institutionalizing a business minor
“¢bull; Making USAC more accessible to all undergraduate students
“¢bull; Fair allocations of Kerckhoff Hall office space
Possibly heard of any of these? As promised last year when winning eight of 10 contested seats on council, Bruins United has made extraordinary progress in each of these areas and far more, including the availability of a business minor by the summer of 2009, the implementation of new office space allocation guidelines, providing community service-oriented “Alternative Spring Breaks,” holding a USAC town hall on the Hill, working with Associated Students UCLA to make “Double Your Dorm Coupon,” and reforming the current structure of USAC.
I can only hope that you have experienced some of the USAC advocacy and programming efforts this year because it is undeniable that we have taken huge steps in the right direction.
Yet we are far from done. Bruins United candidates will continue to make our student government work for students from all walks of life at UCLA.
Following the success of past years, we are planning to go beyond what has been done previously.
Bruins United will advocate for more career-oriented academic opportunities to provide you with “real-world” experiences. From what we have seen, students need a voice to push for applied academic courses (i.e., journalism, marketing or advertising), expanding the availability of internship credit to all students and providing programming opportunities to put UCLA students in touch with industry professionals.
The end result of your years at UCLA will hopefully be landing your dream job. We want to make sure you have the skills and knowledge to thrive in the workplace, wherever that may be.
Bruins United will focus on getting you “more bang for your buck.” Each of us pays thousands of dollars to be able to come to UCLA. Yet with looming budget cuts and the difficulty of managing one’s personal finances, monetary issues remain a constant source of concern.
We will work with administration on alleviating the effects of the upcoming budget cuts on our academic endeavors and student services.
And we will take steps to ensure that you have the resources available to make sound financial decisions for your future.
Bruins United will initiate change in expanding campus resources for all students, whether that means bringing workout facilities to the residence halls, expanding library hours, opening Kerckhoff Hall’s doors to more student organizations or even exploring the future of expanding Ackerman Union.
Finally, Bruins United will once again connect Westwood back to UCLA students. From maximizing the use of your BruinCard to hosting USAC-sponsored events and even negotiating further discount programs, we want to ensure that everyone feels at home in our college town.
Plus, while we do have an immense pool of ideas, we also have the best candidates who know how to make each one of these initiatives a reality. We have an incredible range of UCLA students ““ resident assistants, presidents of enormous student groups, Greek leaders and so much more ““ and it is definitely important to note that each one of us also has direct USAC experience.
In the end, while USAC is a great resource that has the potential to accomplish so much, Bruins United candidates will strive to make it a tool that works for you.
Sandler is the Bruins United presidential candidate for USAC. He is a third-year studying saxophone performance.