The student government approved the appointments of five student leaders to various committees across campus.
As of Tuesday evening, approximately 40 of the 70 student positions ““ which include board of directors positions with Associated Students UCLA and the Student Health Committee ““ have been filled, with 23 applications pending according to Internal Vice President Evan Schulman.
While there is no specific deadline, the pace of the application process, which has left many committees on campus operating without undergraduate representation, is a source of contention for critics, flaring accusations that President Homaira Hosseini’s is mishandling the application process.
Hosseini, who during her presidential campaign promised a transparent and efficient government, has been under scrutiny from a former Bruins United-affiliated council member.
This council person alleges that Hosseini’s slate, Students First!, has stifled the Bruin voice.
In a recent Daily Bruin Letter to the Editor, former representative Michelle Lyon wrote that the President “failed” in one of her most important responsibilities in allowing 15 unqualified candidates to slip through the application process.
“While she may have promised transparency, her actions speak louder, and they say that Students First! cares more about pleasing their friends instead of picking the best people for the job,” she said.
This is a claim Hosseini denies and faculty advisors say is unfounded.
Administrative alternate Rick Tuttle said he didn’t sense anything “unusual” about the process.
The appointments have been handled in a business-like way, he added.
And regarding the vacancies, the 20-year USAC advisor said, “in the past, appointments have been made once the school year began.”
The slow pace is due to the obscurity of the lower profile committee positions.
These lower positions carry no stipend compared to the popular ones like the ASUCLA Board of Directors, Hosseini said.
The original 15 appointments remain contentious, however, the council on Tuesday approved the five new recommendations by the Appointment Review Committee, a nonpartisan board which reviewed and approved the recommendations made by the president.
The approval of two other students was tabled due to their absence.
Among those approved included third-year Ezra Wolkenfeld to the ASUCLA Communications Board, fourth-year Alisa Ahmadian to the Campus Sustainability Committee and third-year Gene Ivanov to the Wooden Center Board of Governors.
“His biggest impression on us … (was that) he has a lot of experience on every facet of the newsmagazines,” said ARC Chairman Evan Shulman regarding Wolkenfeld.
As outlined by USAC bylaws, the president makes recommendation to the ARC based on a priority list provided by the Office of the Dean. The committee then reviews the candidates based on a four point criteria including leadership and student activism experience.
“A lot of people don’t know in the summer they have to apply,” said Hosseini who said her office is advertising as much as she can to fill the empty positions, including two vacant spots on the ASUCLA Communications Board, the publisher of the Daily Bruin.
The lack of undergraduate representation has not affected meetings said Student Media Director Arvli Ward.
He did said the current makeup of the board was uncommon.
“It’s not typical that we don’t have most of these seats filled at the beginning of the year,” said Ward on the four vacant positions.
The Wooden Center Board of Directors and the Bruin Online Advisory Group are also without representation.
General Representative Natalie Gonzalez who along with Bruins United colleague Monica Kohles expressed dissatisfaction with the initial appointments were appeased regarding the recent rounds.
“The chair followed proper protocol and the committee is doing its best to go through the appointment process as stated by bylaws,” Gonzalez said.