While homelessness is a visible problem throughout Westwood and Los Angeles, it is not so easy to spot on our own campus. On April 15, students were asked to show support for homeless Bruins by sleeping at Sunset Recreation Center for a night to simulate homelessness and to raise money for Bruins who don’t have shelter. The event, named BruINTENT, was sponsored by the internal vice president’s office of the Undergraduate Students Association Council.
This editorial board stands in support of the continuation of the event. It is valuable not only to homeless students but also to participating students, who have the opportunity to learn about an issue many of their peers face but may not discuss.
Initially organized by last year’s USAC President Homaira Hosseini and her office, the event was created to address the problems of homelessness and hunger in Los Angeles, but it was expanded to provide additional resources for students on campus dealing with the same problems.
This year, BruINTENT was picked up and continued by the office of the internal vice president.
In 2008, there were 80,000 homeless individuals in Los Angeles each night, according to the BruINTENT website. Last year, the USAC office of the president estimated that there are about 100-200 homeless UCLA students.
The funds collected at the event benefit the Union Rescue Mission ““ an L.A. nonprofit organization that provides services including food, shelter and clothing to the homeless ““ and fund a USAC grant for homeless students on campus. The scholarship is open to undocumented students, who are not eligible for financial aid, in addition to documented students, and it assists students in paying for books and food.
Resources like the scholarship, the UCLA Food Closet and 24-hour services such as Night Powell are invaluable to struggling students who may not know where to turn.
Especially with the recent fee hikes, resources like a scholarship to help students who cannot afford to pay for books and food are exactly what our student government should be striving to provide to its constituents.
The current council should strive to create events that directly serve the needs of UCLA students. Though homeless students comprise a small segment of the student population, reducing the stigmas surrounding situations like homelessness is a vital part of creating a supportive Bruin community.
Assisting students is the primary function of the undergraduate student government. Current and future councils should take note of relevant and constructive events like BruINTENT and strive to equally serve the community. Goals do not necessarily need to be wide-sweeping to have a tangible effect on the student body.
This board commends the BruINTENT participants and the USAC office of the internal vice president for highlighting and attempting to alleviate an important issue on campus.