Bruin Fems suffer because of Concerts for Cash
USAC’s mishandling of student fees has put student programming in jeopardy.
Bruin Feminists for Equality, the only exclusively feminist organization on campus, was given a total of $98 for our programming for the entire year. Instead of being able to bring important issues to campus, our programming has be undercut by the need to raise funds simply to cover printing costs. For our upcoming International Women’s Week, we barely were given enough to cover the cost of tables and chairs ““ for a single event.
Yet, USAC still had the audacity to take $80,000 from a so-called surplus, and the gall to justify it as benefiting student groups.
However, upon examination of the proposed “Concert for Cash,” the four-line budget would leave programming funds $10,000 in debt. This is, of course, after they charged the mere 3,000 eligible students (of the 25,432 undergraduates) a cheaper price of $25 per ticket, compared to the standard $60 ticket price.
At this point, my own student funds alone ($119.73) would contribute more to my club than my own student government. The campaign promises made last spring by Bruins United are backed only by gross miscalculations and a volatile hidden agenda that will not benefit students now or in the future. The siphoned funding will affect everyone’s ability to enjoy the normally programming-heavy spring.
USAC should abandon “Concerts for Cash” before they cripple the rest of student programming. No cash, no concert.
Ashley Tucker
President, Bruin Feminists for Equality
Fourth-year, political science
Higher education needs higher fees
I don’t want to pay any more for attending this university than I already do. I’m assuming all of my peers agree. I also think the federal and state governments should provide more money for public university funding, because that helps great public schools like the University of California, University of Virginia, University of Michigan and University of North Carolina compete with their private counterparts.
I commend anyone protesting the proposed public education budget cut. But I will not be one to protest the burden of these budget cuts falling on us, the students. I realize that the university needs money to conduct its award-winning research, keep great professors here, maintain the campus beauty, move toward being green, fund the plethora of student groups, and stay abreast of the million other costly things that make this university what it is.
If the governor’s proposed budget cut happens as planned, I don’t want UCLA to drop anything it does. I would rather pay the extra couple hundred bucks a year because that’s the marginal cost that makes UCLA a name that is recognizable the world over.
So to all those bickering over the possible fee hikes, please continue. But when or if the state does cut public education funding, you must stop. Let UCLA raise the fees and understand that it costs money to make this a top-tier university.
Asad Ramzanali
First-year, business economics