CORRECTION: A previous version of this article mischaracterized Bruins United candidate for Student Welfare commissioner Myles Hamby’s role in the Cultural Affairs Commission. Hamby was part of the commission’s Office of Residential Life subcommittee for WorldFest. The Daily Bruin regrets the error.
Three previously independent candidates in the upcoming undergraduate student government elections have joined together to form the slate SERVE, which will run opposite Students First! and Bruins United.
Slates are unofficial coalitions of candidates who run together and pool their resources.
The slate was formed in response to the campaign of a Bruins United candidate.
Myles Hamby, who has no prior involvement with the Student Welfare Commission, is running for Student Welfare commissioner, a position that has been appointed without opposition for many years.
Joanne Lin, a candidate for Campus Events Commissioner, said SERVE was formed “to show solidarity between the three independent candidates” and to show that those commissions would promote qualified candidates.
Lin formed SERVE with Lucy Wu and Farhan Banani, who are running for Student Welfare and Community Service commissioners, respectively.
Lin said SERVE differs from usual slates, in that it exists to promote the election of in-house candidates to head the three nonpartisan USAC commissions: Campus Events, Student Welfare and Community Service.
“We’re not opposed to outside students coming in to our organization, but we ask that someone who runs for commissioner has served on that commission first,” Lin said.
Hamby, a third-year global studies student, disagreed with these assessments.
He said although he has not served in the Student Welfare Commission, he is a practiced leader with direct experience related to student welfare.
The three commissions affiliated with SERVE do not advocate a political stance, though they each hold a seat on USAC.
Lin said SERVE will likely continue to exist after this year’s election cycle because the commissions realized a need to support each other.
She added that the commissions will continue to operate independently of each other.
Bruins United has called the process of in-house selection for these commissioner positions unjust and biased.
“Bruins United is reinstituting democratic values and practices by giving students the opportunity to vote for student welfare commissioner,” said Jesse Rogel, the Bruins United candidate for president.
“The Student Welfare commissioner represents 1/13 of the student voice, and it’s undemocratic to say students can’t decide who they want to represent them,” he said.
Valerie Sien, the current Community Service commissioner, said she supports the formation of the SERVE slate.
Sien said it is important for a commissioner to have prior experience working in his or her commission before leading it.
Sien said she is concerned that Hamby has no formal affiliation with the student welfare commission.
Cinthia Flores, the Students First! candidate for president, said she agreed with and understood the decision to form SERVE.
“I believe that the commissions banded together because they realized how detrimental it would be for any candidate who has no experience to be in charge.
“I’m not saying (Hamby) doesn’t have any relevant experience, but it’s very important for people running the commissions to have experience in (the commission) because they are the most qualified,” she said.
Hamby served as a resident assistant this year.
He cited being a member of the Cultural Affairs Commission’s Office of Residential Life subcommittee for WorldFest and volunteering for Run/Walk as other examples of his experience in student affairs.
“(The commission) is saying you have to be an in-house candidate to serve as commissioner. The fact is that not every position on council has someone on it who was already in the staff of that council position beforehand,” Hamby said.
“It’s unfair to say that the Student Welfare Commission is somehow special and has to pick an in-house candidate,” he added.
Hamby was surprised by the formation of SERVE and said he believed it to be hypocritical to the proposed nonpartisan beliefs of its candidates.
Still, he said the commissions were within their rights to pool together their resources.
“I have faith in the democratic process, and I believe the students will make the right choice to vote on who they want to represent them,” Hamby said.