In response to what they call a lack of student voice in
Westwood issues, student leaders have created a new outlet aimed at
allowing students to express concerns and suggestions to the
city.
The Westwood and North Village Council will allow students to
address issues such as rent, safety and public works.
Marwa Kaisey, president of the Undergraduate Students
Association Council, said students historically have not had much
input in city affairs.
“Often we get overlooked in the community just because
we’re students,” said Kaisey, whose office created the
Westwood and North Village Council at the beginning of the academic
year.
Jesse Melgar, the neighborhood council director, said in recent
years students have asked for more of a voice.
“You get a feel for how (students) see their community and
how they’d like to improve it,” he said. “We
should definitely have a say as far as decision-making is
concerned.”
The organization of the council is still in the planning stages,
but it will consist of an executive council that will listen to
suggestions and complaints from community members, Melgar said. A
steering committee has been meeting for several months now to
determine logistics, and has worked with city officials and members
of the UCLA administration to establish the council, Melgar
said.
“The city of L.A. is very, very excited about this,”
he said. “They’re real receptive.”
Kaisey added that her office hopes to make the council an
official neighborhood council within the city, but in order to do
so organizers must complete an application and meet certain
requirements. She said the process usually takes about a year. But
the extra time will be worth it because a neighborhood council will
give students an automatic connection to city officials, Kaisey
said.
“Students will be guaranteed a voice to the city,”
she said.
Kaisey said she believes it is important that there be a
permanent body to fulfill that purpose.
“People are in and out (of housing in Westwood) and things
don’t get fixed,” she said. “But if there’s
an established body whose responsibility it is, then they
will.”
The council will hold its first public meeting Wednesday in
Kaisey’s office. Though most of the council’s
organizers so far have been students, both Kaisey and Melgar said
eventually they hope to involve members of all sections of the
Westwood community.
“It will bring together homeowners, renters and business
owners,” Kaisey said. “That will mean better
business-student relations. There will be a more student-friendly
Westwood.”
She added that each group’s representation on the council
will ideally correspond to its size as a portion of the larger
community, and that students will continue to comprise a large part
of the council. Danielle Ryan, a third-year English and psychology
student, said she believes the council will help represent student
interests.
“I … think of Westwood as an extension of on-campus
housing, so I think it’s good that we have a say,” she
said.
But she added that she is not sure how effective a student-run
council would be at addressing concerns to the city.
The council currently has plans to address lighting in Westwood,
as well as tenant’s rights issues, Melgar said, adding that
the council will act on input given during meetings.
“If there’s a demand, we’ll set up
forums,” he said.
Currently, Melgar said, the council is working on bylaws and
establishing subcommittees. He said he hopes the council will serve
as a convenient and effective way for students to communicate their
concerns and suggestions about their neighborhood.
“It can be intimidating (for students) to voice concerns.
They don’t really know where to go,” he said.
“This way, if something major comes up, students have a place
to go where they won’t feel intimidated.”