When Gabe Rose was 4 years old, he was so distraught about the library closing early that he met with the mayor of New Haven, Conn., and insisted on donating everything in his piggy bank to fund longer library hours.
When he was in the fifth grade he got into an argument with his music teacher because he did not want to sing a song about “the men that set you free” in the Revolutionary War. Women died in the war too, he insisted.
“He’s been pretty focused and directed by a really strong moral sense since he’s been able to talk and walk,” said Lorraine Rose-Lerman, Rose’s mother. “He came home from kindergarten once and said, “˜Mom, do you know women only make 59 cents for every dollar that men make?'”
Rose, an Undergraduate Students Association Council presidential candidate for the Bruins United slate, has a litany of experience with leading students to advocate for a cause and marshalling people and groups to help him.
He has always been an activist, Rose-Lerman said.
During his first year at UCLA, Rose started the club Student Coalition for Marriage Equality.
If elected president, Rose said he wants to make the campus the best possible place for his fellow Bruins by focusing on maintaining and expanding UCLA traditions such as Undie Run, the Bruin Bear security force, as well as adding a new program called Concerts for Cash.
“When I first got here, I was so impressed by the people and the energy of the campus,” said Rose, a third-year political science and communication studies student. “USAC is a phenomenal resource that can accomplish great things.”
Rose said he wants to bring “big-name” artists to UCLA and charge students minimally to see them, in an effort to raise more money for other USAC programming. He also said he plans to work with the Associated Students UCLA to bring a bar to campus.
“Students have to graduate feeling like Bruins,” he said, adding that alumni will likely be more willing to give back if they have good memories of the campus, while prospective students are more likely to come to UCLA if they know about great campus traditions.
Another aspect of Rose’s platform is increasing the visibility and transparency of USAC, both of which he said have been major problems in the past.
Rose said he wants to increase the number of student groups that receive funding, as well as open office space in Kerckhoff Hall to more campus groups.
Rose has been a campus tour guide for almost a year, and has talked to many students who are interested in attending the school, he said.
“He loves UCLA and loves being a Bruin ““ when he gives a tour you can see how excited he is,” said Taneen Jafarkhani, a second-year political science student who has given tours with Rose. “He makes people excited about UCLA.”
One thing Rose said he has noticed as a tour guide is that the promotional materials he hands out to prospective students need updating.
“Students need input into how UCLA is marketed,” he said, adding that he would like to remake the promotional videos that admitted students see.
Rose also said he would extend his marketing ideas to USAC, creating a marketing team for the whole council to increase its visibility to the campus.
Better marketing of USAC and the campus in general could help improve diversity on campus, he said.
“We are competing with other major universities like Berkeley and Stanford. … We need to make students want to come here,” he said, adding that his marketing campaign could help bring better and more diverse students to campus.
As president of Bruin Democrats, Rose worked to bring presidential candidate John Edwards to campus, and as USAC president, Rose said he would work on bringing more of the candidates through his We Matter program.
Rose said he would like to make sure UCLA is seen as an important place to stop for the candidates, adding that students would benefit tremendously from the experience of seeing multiple presidential contenders in person.
Christopher Yi, a third-year communication studies student who has known Rose since middle school, said Rose was a great friend, roommate and leader.
“I probably owe getting into UCLA to this guy,” he said. “I would have a hard time paying attention, and always before the finals and tests, Gabe would save me and make sure I would learn the material and study ““ I always got an A in those classes.”
Rose said he identifies with his Jewish faith, and one of his heroes is Sandy Koufax, who refrained from pitching for the Dodgers in the 1965 World Series because the game fell on a holiday.
Rose’s resume also includes work on the Dance Marathon Steering Committee, where he helped bring together various student groups to dance.
But his expertise does not lie solely in planning dances ““ he is also famous among his friends for his interpretation of a popular Gwen Stefani song.
“If you ever see him on Bruin Walk, ask him to do his “˜Hollaback Girl’ dance,” Yi said. “It will be worth it.”