There aren’t many chances for students to weigh in on
off-campus issues. And on Tuesday night, they might have forfeited
another opportunity.
When the Undergraduate Students Association Council was supposed
to vote on resolutions that opposed three propositions on the Nov.
8 ballot, the vote was stalled by council members who expressed the
concern that it isn’t their body’s place to take
stances on partisan or political propositions.
They said, among other things, that USAC should be focused on
campus and student issues and shouldn’t use its time and
resources to pass something all students might not agree with.
And by “resources,” they mostly mean money ““
your money. Many of the resolutions USAC passes are reprinted in
the Daily Bruin as full-page advertisements, which costs about
$1,000 and comes from student fees allocated to the council.
But a regulation imposed by the UC Office of the President bans
student governments from using “university resources to
support or oppose a particular candidate or ballot proposition in a
non-university political campaign.”
It goes without saying that the first role of USAC is to ensure
that the needs of UCLA’s student body are met, and council
members are right to point that out.
But to argue that student government doesn’t have a role
in taking stances on issues ““ even partisan ones ““
ignores what should be one of its vital duties.
Students elect council members primarily as their leaders and
their representatives to higher authority. As leaders, council
members must provide students with direction on issues ““ both
on-campus and off ““ that will affect them.
More importantly, as representatives, council members have
access to figures ““ such as the chancellor, state
legislators, even members of the U.S. Senate ““ that the
average Joe Bruin does not. They should exercise that access and
privilege to ensure students’ concerns and opinions are
heard.
Had council passed resolutions in opposition to the three
propositions, it would have been a drop in the ocean of discontent
over measures on the ballot. But at least representatives of UCLA
students would make a statement, even if it’s more for the
sake of principle than practicality. And standing on principle is
one of the best ways to combat the widely held stereotype that
college students are apathetic and ambivalent.
Ultimately, it might be true that there are more effective
methods to alert students to the effects of the ballot
propositions. Because it’s doubtful that many potential
voters consult USAC ads in this newspaper before they slip into the
voting booth.
But it would be a shame if council did not think it was part of
their duty to speak for students on issues that occur outside UCLA
and that will profoundly impact students’ lives, whether
those issues are right here in Los Angeles or in far-flung war
zones.
The voice of students already goes unheard too often. As
representatives of the students, council members should work to
ensure all avenues of expression remain open ““ even if it
means challenging UCOP restrictions.