By Jasmine Hill
After seeing crimes of hate plague all ends of the University of California system, students rightfully want to see leaders who can bring them into greater communal harmony. Out of all the election mayhem, students hope that effective leaders will make this campus a better place.
Three years ago, I found the need to decide these issues for myself. As a candidate with Students First!, I am humbled to find myself in the position to shed light on some of these issues for others. It is my firm belief that our unity will come through the struggle toward common goals.
Maybe I come from a school of thought that is too revolutionary or believes too much in human potential. Maybe the mental blows of this 32 percent fee increase have caused us to repent to such a state of apathy that we feel that a student-selected commencement speaker is much more important than a campaign to critique the institutional systems that dictate our educational futures. Maybe the days for political activism are over and the movers-and-shakers and game changers on this campus should take a rest.
In my opinion, the Undergraduate Students Association Council can become the stuff that changes lives. We saw that in years past as Students First! successfully advocated for a UC-wide fee freeze or brought awareness and resources to the widely ignored homeless student population. Whether it means providing new opportunities for South Campus, or fighting for the rights of students that don’t have money for tuition, let alone food every night, USAC can create change. We, with something as simple as these elections, have the potential to do amazing things.
With focus on universal issues like accessibility, affordability, academic quality, extracurricular opportunity and sustainability, Students First! seeks to lead. Touching real student needs is something we’ve been doing for years.
I believe that by working together, we can make UCLA an even better university. We need your support to make that happen not just through knowing what student government is doing, but by rubbing elbows with your councilmembers in a fight for our education. I’m asking you all to join me in that fight. Because our time here is short and the issues are too large for us to ignore.
Jasmine Hill is a third-year communication studies student and the Students First! USAC presidential candidate.