The candidates for next year’s undergraduate student government participated in a rigorous series of endorsement hearings as part of the campaign process earlier this week.
The hearings allowed representatives from registered student groups to ask each candidate one question and formally endorse a candidate following the completion of the hearings.
A formal endorsement allows groups to advertise the candidate or referendum on their Bruin Walk sign-boards, as well as share their endorsement with group members who want to get a better sense of where the candidates’ interest lies, said Elections Board Chairwoman Mallory Wang.
She added that the hearings are important because students may have difficulty getting to know each of the candidates’ views.
“It’s an easier way for students to get to know the candidates,” Wang added.
In hearings from Monday to Wednesday, student representatives asked a variety of questions, ranging from how candidates will promote diversity, to howthe candidates’ hairstyles represent their campaign style. Many groups chose to focus their question on how the candidates would serve and promote the interest of their specific groups.
Joe Karet, a representative from the Interfraternity Council, said his organization unanimously voted on who to endorse prior to the hearing.
Even if the group knew in advance who they want to endorse, a representative still had to be present at the hearing, Wang said.
Danny Torres Lopez, a fourth-year political science student and the director of Queer Alliance, said his group looked at candidates who are committed to not only UCLA affairs but also national and global issues.
He said he wanted to see candidates who have experience practicing what they preach and those who are not only allies of the lesbian gay bisexual transgender community, but also vocal advocates.
Others chose to ask about how the candidates felt about decisions made by the current undergraduate student council.
The humanitarian resolution calling for a Gaza cease-fire passed by USAC earlier this year was a frequent topic among many Jewish interest groups.
Several candidates were asked whether or not they would have voted for the resolution had they been a part of this year’s council.
The responses the general representative candidates gave displayed a stark division between the two major slates, coalitions of students with similar ideologies and goals who pool their campaign resources and run together.
Bruins United candidate, Addison Huddy, said he felt the resolution was hurtful and disregarded student opinion, while the Students First! candidate, Jason Tengco, said the resolution was a humanitarian issue that was not meant to alienate students.
In addition to informing students about the candidates, endorsements also serve as a form of campaigning.
“A lot of groups endorse some candidate, so it’s kind of like free publicity,” Wang said.
Groups can endorse whichever candidates they choose, or abstain from endorsing anyone. They can also endorse the student fee referendum, Practicing Leadership and Empowerment to Develop Growth thru Education, also known as PLEDGE.
The student groups that participated in the endorsement hearing process can officially begin endorsing their candidate after the submission of their final endorsements Friday evening.
With reports from Samantha Masunaga and Ben Thaler, Bruin reporters.