Two candidates are running for the traditionally uncontested undergraduate student government position of Student Welfare commissioner for the first time in nine years, said current Student Welfare Commissioner Jonathan Tsai.
During the undergraduate student government candidate orientation last week, the elections board revealed that Bruins United candidate Myles Hamby would challenge the independent candidate Lucy Wu.
Bruins United is one of the two political slates at UCLA, along with Students First! Slates are groups of students who share resources and run together under common platforms. Students First! is not running a candidate for the position of Student Welfare commissioner.
Current staffers in the Student Welfare Commission chose Wu, a third-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student and the director of the health, wellness, and fitness subgroup in the commission, as their commissioner for next year.
Traditionally, the commissioners for the Student Welfare Commission, the Community Service Commission, and the Campus Events Commission are chosen in-house and run in the general election unopposed as independent candidates.
The position of Student Welfare commissioner oversees a large staff that programs on issues related to student health, Tsai said. He added several subgroups constitute the Student Welfare Commission, including the Run/Walk committee, regular blood drives, AIDS awareness campaigns, and student health advocates.
Wu said that the news that she would face an opponent came as a surprise, and she raised concerns about his experience.
“I do believe (Hamby) has qualifications, particularly in residential life, but I am concerned that he does not have any direct experience working with the commission,” Wu said.
Hamby, a third-year global studies student, said he was running for the position not out of selfish ambition, but as an opportunity to serve students.
Hamby said he has gained experience in the workings of the commission by spending time speaking to its staff and volunteering at commission events such as Run/Walk, Bruin Health Week, and Earth Day.
Jesse Rogel, the Bruins United candidate for president, said his slate would not have nominated Hamby if they did not feel he was qualified.
“Myles has an extensive background in health-related issues as a resident assistant, programming in the USAC general representative one office, working at commission events and volunteering for health aid in Africa,” Rogel said.
Rogel added that he believes Hamby has a natural leadership style that motivates people and could change the office for the better, and said that despite the current commission’s reports to the contrary, Hamby does have the support of some this year’s staff.
Tsai said he was upset with Hamby’s candidacy because he said the staff had already chosen its commissioner and was preparing the groundwork for next year.
“It is irresponsible for someone who hasn’t worked in the commission to be running against an experienced candidate who we’ve all chosen for next year,” Tsai said.
By contesting the office, Hamby said he was making it more accountable to the student body because they would now have an opportunity to pick the Student Welfare commissioner.
“It is undemocratic to have a small group of people choose one-13th of the student body’s vote without an actual election. We want to give the choice of electing the Student Welfare commissioner back to all students,” Hamby said.
Rogel said the competition for the office can only improve and benefit its efficiency and added the lack of accountability has hurt the commission this year.
“The commission currently has empty director positions and people on their roster who are not involved. The Campus Safety and Sexual Violence Awareness committee was disbanded this year, and campus safety is a big deal to a lot of students,” he said.
Tsai confirmed the committee was disbanded in the past year, which he said was a result of not finding enough interested participants.
Wu said she was personally non-partisan and uninvolved with the two major slates but was preparing for the campaign ahead with what she said was the full support of this year’s commission.
She added that she would have preferred to spend the funds and the time going into the campaign instead on setting up the office for next year.
Hamby said he appreciates all of the hard work Wu has put in with the commission. He said he is not running out of disrespect to her accomplishments and added that he would not politicize the commission.
But he said he believes that as an outsider with a different perspective, he could continue the commission’s work with existing staff members while offering fresh ideas.