When looking at history, we can see the power of the student voice, and how it is harnessed in the Undergraduate Students Association Council.
We look to the Freedom Riders of the 1960s as an example of UCLA students being heard on a national level. Or the movement to divest from South African apartheid in the 1980s as an example of Bruins’ voices being heard on a global level. And then we look to the modern day and realize we need to continue to be activists for issues of our time, issues closer to home.
At the start of this year, we saw a lack of priority for higher education becoming a theme on a statewide level. We had recently instituted holistic admissions, Pauley Pavillion was reopening and the UC Board of Regents had just rejected a tuition increase for the first time ever.
I looked to what this council could do. At our installation, I challenged us to harness the political excitement around the presidential election to empower students to actively fight for affordability, to utilize Pauley’s reopening and other prideful accomplishments to increase alumni relations and to learn from the recent acts of intolerance to promote diversity on campus.
And now I get the privilege to reflect on this year and realize how incredibly successful we were.
We registered a record 6,234 students for the presidential election, brought Gov. Jerry Brown to campus and helped pass Proposition 30 in surprising fashion, giving $375 million back to the University of California and freezing tuition.
We channelled the increase in Bruin pride to increased alumni giving. Because of this, we were able to start the first fund for alumni to donate directly back to students – a student leadership fund and a textbook scholarship fund.
We took huge strides to proactively minimize acts of intolerance with our participation in the UC campus climate survey, the largest ever of its kind, which will greatly increase our ability to address campus issues. We addressed attacks on our holistic admissions head-on, protecting our diverse population. And we culminated this work with our first Diversity Symposium, where we featured more than 70 programs from more than 50 groups across campus.
But it didn’t stop there. We made huge strides with financial stability, creating a $100,000 endowment and passing the Bruin Bash referendum. We increased USAC efficiency by completely revamping our bylaws and fixing problems with election code. We put on relief programs like “Bruins for Boston” and our students ran a campaign that successfully repealed the use of a new UC logo.
When we gathered with more than 60 former student body presidents, we learned about how the student voice can always be stronger. And that’s where next year’s council comes in. I am very proud of all the work this year’s council has done. But clearly, none of this work isfinished.
Next year we will see the arrival of a new UC president who will have a lot to learn in this complicated system. We will be faced with the aftereffects of Proposition 30, and the financial struggles that come along with it. The results of the UC campus climate survey will be released and we must dictate how to respond to them. And, of course, so many new, unforeseen challenges will arise along the way. And as one of the most prestigious universities in the nation, UCLA will be looked at to guide this country through these challenges.
Bruins, you will have the opportunity to make positive changes for our generation. Be active on issues you care about, but never forget the successes your predecessors have made. Use those successes as stepping stones for the even greater change I know you are capable of.
Thank you for letting me serve you this year. I’m looking forward to seeing all you can do!
Bocarsly was USAC president from 2012-2013.