This board endorses Andres Schneider for the Graduate Students Association’s vice president of external affairs position. His commitment to improving the international student experience and tackling pertinent graduate student issues like transportation makes Schneider a qualified candidate.
Prior to his first year in office, Schneider, a graduate student of economics, ran on a platform of greater inclusion of international students in GSA activities. In addition to working with the Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars to put on events for international students, Schneider has advocated for greater academic resources for students in the United States on visas.
In addition to researching visa reform, Schneider successfully lobbied UCLA Graduate Division administrators to expand summer research scholarships to international students for the first time. We encourage Schneider to continue this advocacy as well as follow through on his plan to expand fellowship and grant opportunities for all graduate students.
Schneider also mentioned the importance of advocating for improved transportation options for graduate students. He has spoken at Santa Monica City Council meetings in support of changes to Big Blue Bus lines. He specifically advocated for the implementation of Route 17, which is included in the most recent Big Blue Bus Expo Integration Plan and would expand access to many UCLA graduate students living on Sawtelle Boulevard.
Though little progress has been made on Westwood Boulevard bike lane expansions, Schneider said he will continue to advocate for this and other bicyclist safety measures. We encourage Schneider to reach out to the Undergraduate Students Association Council and other local governing bodies to link up efforts on bike lane expansion and make a legitimate push toward actual progress with the Los Angeles City Council in the coming year.
Despite our endorsement, this board encourages Schneider to be more specific with respect to a few of his platforms. Schneider briefly spoke about the potential for a bike-sharing program for UCLA graduate students, though he was unable to mention specifics when asked about its progress.
Schneider also said he plans to continue to leverage his relationships with other representatives in the University of California Student Association but did not commit to the idea of joining UCSA, a platform proposal he made last election cycle then abandoned with other GSA members earlier this year, citing costs to graduate students. We encourage him to more clearly define GSA’s involvement, if any, with UCSA, its members and its campaigns in the coming months.
Despite these concerns, we feel Schneider’s connections and reputation earned from a year in office will serve him well through another term.