Going against years of certain commission positions being filled
by independent officers, Slate Refund is running candidates for
commission positions in this year’s undergraduate student
government election, and independent candidates have altered their
campaigns in response.
With only one day of voting left, independent commissioner
candidates have joined campaign efforts, including joint fliers, in
order to ensure the Undergraduate Students Association Council
positions are filled by in-house candidates.
In past years the Community Service commissioner, Campus Events
commissioner and Student Welfare commissioner, whose offices are
all program-based, were positions that were vied for and won by
in-house candidates selected from within their commissions.
Traditionally slates, including and Students First! and Bruins
United, chose not to run candidates for these positions because the
main purpose of each commission is to plan and host programs,
rather than advocate political and community issues.
But this year Slate Refund is running candidates for Student
Welfare commissioner and Campus Events commissioner.
Slate Refund chose to run these commissioner candidates because
the offices specifically help control budgets, said Kyle Hyman,
Campus Events commissioner candidate for Slate Refund.
Slate Refund Student Welfare commissioner candidate Casey Henry
said his slate is running candidates for the traditionally
independent offices in order to be as effective as possible.
“I haven’t been in (USAC), and that gives me less
restriction and more of an open mind, rather than being concerned
with what I owe to the position,” Henry said.
But Ravi Dehar, independent candidate for Campus Events
commissioner, said it is important for these three offices to
remain independent because they encompass tradition and host
programs that are held every year, while other offices encourage
new goals and new ideas each year.
The three commissions choose to run in-house candidates because
the positions require a specific level of experience, said current
Campus Events Commissioner Jason Kaminsky.
“In-house candidates are already supported by staff
members and already have connections that will ensure the success
of an event,” he said.
Dehar said the success of the Campus Events Commission lies in
its programming and the happiness of students, and that Campus
Events commissioner is a job that must continue the tradition of
popular events, such as $2 movies.
“Programming comes first, and that’s why experience
is so important,” Dehar said.
Farheen Malik, incumbent independent candidate for Community
Service commissioner, said in-house candidates are essential
because they require little training and already understand how an
office operates.
“An (in-house candidate) will spend the year doing their
job instead of learning their job,” Malik said.
Malik said the commission offices plan a lot of their programs
through existing connections, including Bruin Bash and UCLA
Run/Walk, and that staff support, already present for an in-house
candidate, is important as the offices transition to new
leadership.
Dehar said he believes Slate Refund is running commissioner
candidates this year to further its platform and gain more seats on
council.
But Henry gave a different reason for his slate’s
decision. He said they want to give these commissions a new,
refreshing outlook.
“Incumbents are growing old in the system and are getting
used to the way USAC works, instead of remembering how students
want it to work,” Henry said.