There’s been a lot of kerfuffle over incumbent United Students Association Council External Vice President Zach Helder’s tenure, and at the center of the fuss is his use of the term “depoliticized” to describe his vision of the office.
It’s been a controversial word, and Helder said that his use of it has been misrepresented. He stressed that his office is still politically engaged, but is depoliticized in the sense that he tries not to let campus slate politics influence his lobbying efforts.
As a result, he’s tried to reflect the interests of undergraduate UCLA students who vote but aren’t usually considered. For example, his office fought against California Assembly Bill 1711, which would cap out-of-state and international student enrollment for UC undergraduates. He said the bill hurt accessibility for his out-of-state constituents, and there were better ways to close the funding gap without unfairly burdening students.
The philosophical underpinnings of a nonpartisan EVP office acting rationally in the best interests of all students it represents is sound. Helder’s successor as EVP should keep his nonpartisan premise, while improving upon the communication issues that hindered his efforts. Keeping the approach will help the EVP stay out of overly-controversial political issues that could hurt his or her claim to represent the UCLA undergraduate body.
The important thing is that he or she keeps campus politics out of their lobbying efforts, instead focusing on what’s best for the students they were elected to represent.
As the first EVP from the Bruins United slate in over a decade, Helder emphasized keeping an ideologically diverse staff and reaching out to a wide variety of student groups. More importantly, he’s tried taking a rational, nonpartisan approach to his lobbying decisions.
The results have been a mixed bag, but that’s not because of his approach. It’s because of difficulties in communication, for which he’s been criticized heavily this past year. A lot of the trouble has come from his work with outside lobbying organizations.
Helder said he usually works with the University of California Student Association’s student board, which is comprised of Helder’s EVP counterparts from other UC campuses. However, he added that he acted independently of the board if he felt that it’s position posed a burden or harm to the UCLA student body.
The quintessential, and most controversial, example of this philosophy in action is his work with California Senate Bill 376, a bill protecting full-time UC contract workers. Last fall, Helder published an op-ed coming out against the bill, despite public support for the bill from other members of the UCSA board. Although the move earned him a lot of criticism because he appeared to speak for the entire board, breaking with the majority opinion for his given reasons was consistent with his independent-minded, nonpartisan philosophy.
Of course, this sort of depoliticization only works if students are involved in the lobbying process. This year’s EVP candidates realize this and are emphasizing the outreach aspects of their platforms. Ria Jain, who is running under the slate Waves of Change, said that if she were elected EVP, she would focus her efforts on reaching out to more student groups and building a multilateral lobbying force made up of a diverse range of student interests.
Likewise, Rafael Sands, who is running for EVP under the Bruins United slate, plans to work with the internal vice president’s office to pitch lobbying opportunities to relevant student groups. He also plans to bring student voices into the EVP’s own lobbying process through the use of a third party platform.
This is exactly what Helder wanted when he claimed his office was depoliticized. Extensively involving students in the lobbying process ensures that the office sets aside personal and slate politics in favor of a more rational, consensus-based approach.
If Helder’s successor can maintain a rational, nonpartisan office unaffected by slate politics while improving communication both within the office and with other organizations, the EVP will find more success in his or her lobbying and advocacy efforts.
The interests of nearly 30,000 undergraduate students are at stake. Let’s hope that the next EVP can #USACMakeItCount.