With proposed cuts to outreach, drops in the underrepresented
minority enrollment and the call from several students for a
diversity requirement, promoting the issue of diversity is a
priority for many of the candidates running for seats on the
undergraduate student government next term.
Most candidates running for offices of the Undergraduate
Students Association Council whose jobs are most directly involved
with issues of diversity ““ the internal vice president,
external vice president, general representative and Academic
Affairs positions ““ believe that the general polarization on
campus should be addressed.
“What’s been done to promote diversity has taken
place along racial lines,” said independent IVP candidate
Darren Chan, referring to what he believes was done by council in
past years. “It’s imperative for campus to do it as a
whole … at the core of these groups, their goal is to promote
diversity.”
To promote mutual awareness between different groups, Mona
Hassani, the IVP candidate for the Equal Access Coalition, said she
would publish a quarterly newsletter that would consist of a
diversity section, in which students of different backgrounds could
share their stories.
General representative candidate Alonso Martin Del Campo, also
from the Equal Access Coalition, said he would organize a health
forum and invite a variety of groups ““ from pre-med student
groups to representatives from the Greek system ““ to discuss
health issues. Though the forum wouldn’t emphasize the issue
of diversity, it would still give diverse groups on campus a chance
to come together, Del Campo said.
The 100 percent cut to outreach funding proposed by Gov.
Schwarzenegger has made saving these programs imperative for many
candidates.
John Vu, running unopposed for the external vice presidential
position under the Students First! slate, said he would attempt to
save outreach by continuing the lobbying efforts that the EVP
office ““ in which he currently works ““ has already
made.
Vu has worked this year to lobby the state Legislature to
protect and preserve outreach as these programs give many
working-class and underrepresented students access to
education.
Chan said as IVP, he would encourage students interested in
continuing outreach to look for alternative methods of funds
““ specifically grants from the federal government.
Currently an assistant to General Representative Art Ambrosio,
Chan is working with the Center for Community Learning to research
money available to students through these grants.
There is a lot of money “up for grabs,” Chan said,
adding that he would work to educate students about its
availability.
IVP candidate Jonathan Cohen, running as an independent, said he
is not too educated on the issue and that his platform does not
incorporate outreach that much.
Most candidates also believe that diversity suffers from the
drops in minority enrollment that the university has experienced in
recent years.
Hassani said opening USAC funding to all student groups would
increase the voice with which students could express their
disapproval.
Though funding is typically available to organizations
representing the minority groups suffering drops in enrollment,
Hassani said there are still many student groups who have similar
concerns but lack the resources to voice them effectively. But she
would not name any specific groups.
But Cohen said it is important to ensure that the university
admits students because of their qualifications versus their
socio-economic status.
Many candidates are also providing support for the
implementation of a diversity requirement.
Eligio Martinez, an unopposed candidate running for the Academic
Affairs commissioner post, said he will continue the work the
office has done this year to implement a more substantial
requirement next year.
This year, the Academic Affairs Commission ““ in which
Martinez is chief of staff ““ wants the Academic Senate to
implement at least a vague, one-course diversity requirement. But
next year, Martinez said he will push for a student-proposed,
two-course requirement that consists of a diverse education
“outside of the norm.”