By Gabe Rose and Dianne Tanjuaquio
Bruins United is a relatively young party. It was created only five years ago in response to the corruption and unaccountability that had defined student government until that point.
During a critical time in student government history, Bruins United came together as a coalition, including Bruin Democrats and Bruin Republicans, to fight the inequities that prevented such groups and hundreds of others like them to apply for funding and office space. Since then, Bruins United has consistently fought for and alongside all students regardless of identity, background or involvement.
Daily Bruin Viewpoint columnist Saif Ansari belittled this legacy and wrote factual inaccuracies (“Bruins United unqualified to lead,” May 6), which only demonstrate that he ““ like the Students First! party with which he obviously aligns ““ is out of touch with the student body. Seventy percent of students consistently do not vote in elections because they believe there is no place for them in student government.
Bruins United exists to disprove this notion. While Ansari and Students First! may not find value in a bar on campus and Undie Run, they conveniently disregard that thousands of students care about these issues and deserve a student government that will give a voice to their concerns. While Students First! has found some political traction recently in paying lip service to these issues, Bruins United has always been at the forefront of advocacy in these areas.
However, Bruins United is not solely about Undie Run. The party has accomplished several important victories on behalf of students in the past five years, including building the business management minor, increasing the value of residence-hall meal coupons, blocking the city’s plans to ban apron parking in Westwood, creating an online apartment review system, successfully advocating for the installation of 17 new streetlights, and opening up USAC funding for all student groups.
Ansari also fails to give credit where it is due. It was Bruins United General Representative Monica Kohles who initiated the textbook coalition. While Kohles planned and led all meetings and communicated with coalition partners and administration, only one Students First! councilmember bothered to attend the first meeting, and most did not appear at subsequent meetings. The current crop of Bruins United candidates has demonstrated an impressive record of work on important issues such as affordability and safety, as well as innovative initiative for future successes.
As the chair of the ASUCLA Board of Directors, presidential candidate Jesse Rogel was the most effective advocate for reducing textbook prices by $650,000. External vice presidential candidate Megan Ward, lobbied members of Congress and the Senate for the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act, which would mitigate the safety risks faced by thousands of students living in nonprofit housing entities such as Greek housing and cooperative residences with much-needed infrastructure improvements.
Ward also plans to take the Bruins United-initiated textbook coalition to a statewide level and has already started working with the UC Regents and Academic Senate. She is working toward a fee lock-in that could garner bipartisan support. And perhaps Ansari gives Students First! false credit for successes simply because they have failed to accomplish many of their own platform issues, including establishing a dead week, lowering parking fees and implementing green housing options.
Students First! has also actively excluded students from their own student government, from changing office-space eligibility requirements that disqualify hundreds of student groups from applying, to passing the controversial resolution that failed to recognize the humanitarian crises on both sides of the Gaza conflict ““ despite strong desire from several student groups to participate in the discussion.
In light of these clarifications, it is obvious that Ansari had no interest in actually telling the truth about both parties. We encourage everyone to do some research, read about each party’s values and platforms, and decide for themselves. Bruins United invites everyone to join the party, because USAC belongs to every student.
Rose was the 2007-2008 USAC president. Tanjuaquio was the 2007-2008 USAC internal vice president.