Editorial: PLEDGE referendum would help all students

Vote “Yes” on the ballot referendum called PLEDGE, or Practicing Leadership and Empowerment to Develop Growth thru Education, in the student body elections this year.

PLEDGE will truly and universally benefit all students on this campus, but that may not be initially obvious from looking at the groups that will receive funding.

To begin, you are reading this newspaper. The Bruin’s department, Student Media, and our publisher, the UCLA Communications Board, would receive $3 per student per quarter from the referendum.

With that money, we will be able to continue publishing the Daily Bruin, our seven news magazines, our yearbook and the popular Web site BruinWalk.com, which is produced and maintained by Student Media.

We think every student benefits directly or indirectly from the Daily Bruin’s coverage of this campus and from the diversity of media our department has to offer. We hold our administrators and our student government accountable to you, and we would like to continue to do so.

Are you a member of the more than 800 student organizations on campus? If you are, or if you attend or participate in activities hosted by those organizations, then you would benefit from PLEDGE.

The university is not liable for the actions of student groups, and it does not provide them with liability insurance. This means the leaders of those groups are personally liable if something goes wrong at one of their events, and that means it’s only a matter of time before a student gets sued.

This looming threat restricts the activities of student groups, especially those that focus on service, and reduces the opportunities for us to participate. These groups also spend money on liability insurance they could be using for real work.

The Campus Retention Committee houses five programs that are available to all students, including free printing, evening van rides, a test bank, study hall and a writing success program.

The Student Initiated Access Committee houses seven programs that focus on bringing minority students to UCLA. We all benefit from a diverse and accessible university.

More UCLA students partake in community service efforts than at nearly any other university, and UCLA likes to brag about that fact on its Web site and in brochures. But the university does nearly nothing to support those organizations. PLEDGE would provide operational funding for more than 24 of the largest community service organizations on campus, providing lasting and sustainable service programs that UCLA students can participate in.

The UCLA Marching Band receives little water when they play at games. Members can only have their uniforms cleaned once per year, and they have to pay to maintain their instruments. PLEDGE will provide these ambassadors of Bruin pride and spirit with money they desperately need.

PLEDGE will also provide more money for students to lobby and attend conferences, allowing them to do more work with state and national legislators and organizations outside of Los Angeles.

Last, but certainly not least, PLEDGE will provide scholarships to UCLA students who are veterans and homeless.

This is our campus. These are our organizations. This is our voice.

Vote “Yes” on PLEDGE.

Unsigned editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily Bruin Editorial Board.

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