Submission: MakeUCLAGreatAgain’s Shubham Goel serious about candidacy

My name is Shubham Goel and I am the founder and sole representative of UCLA’s new undergraduate student government slate MakeUCLAGreatAgain. Over the past couple weeks, I have been asked to my face if I am a joke or if I am serious. Running under a controversial campaign title, I have also received a lot of criticism for “promoting Donald Trump’s rhetoric” by some overly sensitive people.

So let me clarify please.

Throughout this process I have been amazed at what people will do to win this election, from Bruins United handing out toilet paper for votes according to annoyed tenants in Westwood, to videos with shameless plugs from D-list celebrities. And the irony is that the people who claim to be the “serious candidates” are the ones who are most off message. From false promises to give us free late night ride shares to outlandish claims of digital smart BruinCards around campus in previous campaigns, it takes a special audacity for them to dismiss me as satirical.

At the official Undergraduate Students Association Council debate last week, my platform to create a wall for creative expression was belligerently refuted.

Bruins United candidate Sujith Cherukumilli said, “I don’t think the wall is a great idea, I mean we saw the last time we gave UCLA students chalk.”

His fellow Bruins United candidate Ruchit Majmudar said, “We should build bridges not walls.”

Now let’s fast forward to one week later when Bruin Republicans supported a familiar idea in Bruin Plaza: a ball to creatively express yourself by writing whatever you want. So what is the difference between a ball and a chalk wall? Is it that I hope to actually be effective while I am in office rather than only when I am trying to get elected?

All I can do is affirm my message. I am running to be a USAC general representative, not because I am a joke or because I have no sense of dignity, but because I actually care about fellow students. No matter what you think or how you identify, I want to represent you, and most importantly, give you a voice. If failing to accomplish a laundry list of platforms makes you a satirical candidate, then why am I the only one criticized for being a dreamer when plenty of students have failed to implement their “pie in the sky” platforms? While I may be attacked because my ideas to make USAC accountable with an “F-USAC” platform are too controversial for seasoned council members, I think we need a real advocate for the students who actually listens to them.

Finally, a word on Trump. For the record, I do not support Trump. I have fundamental disagreements with his policies and, like many of you, I am genuinely concerned about his attitude toward minorities.

But rather than attack me as a candidate who makes a mockery of his campaign in an attempt to reduce his hateful words into harmless jokes, let’s take a closer look at the students who hope to censor your words and creative expression. Let’s shift the focus from labeling me as a joke to the complete oversight of USAC to address hate crimes against minorities. Let’s stop with the superficial attacks and look at the real meaning of things. I am Shubham Goel and I am seriously ready to be your next general representative.

Goel is a third-year economics student. He is running for the USAC general representative office under the MakeUCLAGreatAgain slate.