I am writing in response to “Students First! members file petition with Judicial Board” (News, May 7). The headline of the article and the comments from Undergraduate Students Association Council President Gabe Rose make the Student Judicial Board case sound sneaky and politics-driven. For the record, the Afrikan Student Union stands by the fact that this is a fair and justifiably warranted petition. It has nothing to do with Bruins United and Students First! campaigning or politics. It’s about holding our elected officials accountable and making wise decisions that supersede egos and terms in office.
For some reason, office space allocations have been a hot-button issue this year. And quite frankly, as the chairwoman of an organization with an illustrious 42-year history, I have larger issues to work on. I run an organization that has a demonstrated track record of creating change and improving campus life not only for Afrikan students but for all students. From “Black By Popular Demand” admit weekend to working to sustain an off-campus community alliance, we at the ASU have our hands in so many places, working on so many endeavors, it is a shame that every time I came to our office, I had to devote time and energy to wondering how the Office Space Allocation Committee is going to shaft us out of our office space.
I recall earlier in the year, when myself and other ASU, Queer Alliance and MEChA representatives consistently attended USAC meetings to defend ourselves and our need for our own offices. I walked away from every meeting feeling as though nothing had been accomplished ““ not because we did not advocate for our constituencies, but because the majority of the council at the table was not listening.
The same arguments I had made in more intimate meetings with Rose and company I made again at the council meeting, only to have people either (a) not pay attention or (b) act like it was the first time they heard me make my arguments.
I would get even more frustrated when Rick Tuttle and Berky Nelson, USAC advisers, would implore the councilmembers to listen to our arguments and work together to find a common solution. I nearly lost my mind when Vice Chancellor Janina Montero offered to assist in the formation of an ad hoc committee to find more office space and other spaces conducive to student organizations and immediately following, a councilmember lamented, “This is frustrating because nobody is bringing solutions to the table.”
Fast forward to spring quarter and here I am, receiving e-mails telling me that my organization’s office will no longer be solely ASU’s ““ that we will have to share. It is important to note that neither ASU, nor any other organization with designated solo space, is selfish and exclusive or doesn’t care about the general population, or any other negative stigma that certain groups like to place on us. The truth of the matter is that we, like others, function as an umbrella organization.
Under the ASU, there are 28 projects, programs and organizations, ranging from our fraternities and sororities to preprofessional organizations that utilize our office as home base. It seems to me that USAC and the OSAC found it too difficult to listen to Nelson, Tuttle and Montero. That would require the current council to do some work that supersedes their terms in office.
So I guess, then, the e-mail I received from Neilda Pacquing is a result of how highly OSAC and the USAC thinks of all of our 800-plus student organizations ““ the easiest solution is to try to cram us all into Kerckhoff Hall to duke it out. I’m sure your organizations have better things to do, too.
Walter is a fifth-year political science and Afro-American studies student and chairwoman of the Afrikan Student Union.