Even amid the controversies clouding the Undergraduate Students Association Council, the elected student leaders have proved that they are following through with both their individual campaign goals as well as the council-wide platforms.
Most might associate corruption or bureaucratic nightmares with politicians, but, refreshingly, UCLA’s local politicians ““ our undergraduate student government ““ have shown that with strong leadership capabilities, they are able to complete their stated goals.
In light of the Bruin’s midyear report of the council’s progress, it is clear that half of the goals the group set initially have already been accomplished. And most of the remaining goals are seemingly in progress.
So credit is due to our student leaders who have produced some measurable and tangible outcomes for the improvement of our campus.
It is easy to measure success with concrete goals, and External Vice President Justin Hotter was especially impressive with his fulfillment of improving the condition of Westwood’s street lights.
Hotter managed to work with the city to fix 17 nonfunctional street lights in the North Village, a clear improvement for the safety of students in the area.
Another example is Bernice Shaw, the Cultural Affairs commissioner, who has vowed to make this year’s production of the Annual JazzReggae Festival more environment-friendly.
Shaw has even taken further steps to complete her goals by engaging members of sustainability student groups such as E3 to join in on the effort.
Another notable example of the council’s accomplishments is the controversial, but necessary, changes in the office space allocation guidelines.
Opening up Kerckhoff offices to more groups is the fair and right thing to do, and councilmembers should be commended for their efforts.
USAC’s ability to lobby the city council to introduce a bill that would allow apron parking in the North Village is also impressive. The council has truly shown an interest in student issues and worked toward real change.
A dozen other examples exist that have shown the ambition of the council and their commitment to UCLA.
However, some of the goals set were nebulous and hard to measure.
Goals such as strengthening UCLA pride, increasing the council’s visibility, and working on diversity or affordability were on the to-do lists of some council members and even on the council-wide set of goals.
But those are hard to gauge and even harder to commend, as they are vague notions that every councilmember should have had once elected into office.
But that is not to say that the goals were without value.
Lofty goals or big ideas are nice to state, but concrete examples of completed work are even better to show.
For the next round of USAC elections in spring, prospective candidates should consider the feasibility of completing goals when forming their initial platforms.
Something students should also take into account is that the student body has a lot of control over the goals these candidates have. If you think they should be working on other things, tell them.
Remember: You will have the opportunity to vote for the candidates who have the platforms you agree with in the spring.