We endorse David Bocarsly for president because unlike many of the candidates on his slate, he knows what he is talking about.
As a member on USAC’s Funding Study Group, Bocarsly can talk at length about the tangled mess of bureaucracy that council funds are squeezed through. He seems unlikely to make the same fiscal errors as those who came before him.
In addition, he has largely fulfilled his campaign promises as a general representative. This is a good sign that he researched the feasibility of his platforms before last year’s election and had the follow-through to carry them out.
On the whole, Bocarsly is polished, well-spoken and honest about USAC’s strengths and shortcomings. He also exhibits the energy and charisma of his predecessor-to-be, current President Emily Resnick.
But an outsider, Bocarsly is not. He upholds the tired status quo in USAC ““ seeking more event planning for things many students don’t care about and continuing to believe the council’s problems stem mainly from a shortage of money.
So although he has not taken a stance on the CURE referendum, Bocarsly’s ideas for combating inefficiencies revolve around increased outreach and “alternative FUNdraising.” These are fine objectives, but they have nothing to do with combating inefficiencies. More like, compensating for them.
Many of Bocarsly’s achievements this year underlie the increasing superficiality of the Bruins United slate. He made a bucket list for new students, organized a Rose Bowl flash mob and convinced some student groups to film short videos introducing themselves. It’s hard to imagine any of these things taking more than a few days to accomplish.
Meanwhile, Bocarsly’s Funding Study Group has failed to push reforms that would stop the flood of wasted spending. Bocarsly maintains his interest in pursuing this, but he said the same thing in January and we’ve seen minimal progress since then. Granted, he might find success in a more influential position.
We want a president who is prepared to re-examine USAC’s purpose, unravel the unnecessarily complex funding network and cut costs. We want someone who will ask not only how USAC can be more prominent on campus, but how it can be more relevant to students.
Bocarsly receives our tentative endorsement for his capable leadership and clear understanding of how the system operates.
We hope, though, that he sets his sights higher than the status quo.