Student groups can no longer use “UCLA” in front of
their names, nor can the university be held accountable for their
actions, according to a new UCLA policy.
Although the policy prohibits university departments, including
student government, from sponsoring student groups as they have for
the past few years, officials said the change would not likely
affect the way groups operate on a daily basis.
University officials said the change comes in response to a
request from the University of California Office of the
President.
UCLA is the only UC campus that still allows university
departments to sponsor student groups, and UC administrators were
worried about the discrepancy, said Berky Nelson, director of the
Center for Student Programming.
But P.C. Zai, facilities commissioner of the Undergraduate
Students Association Council, said she believes that there had been
some liability issues stemming from student group activities in
recent years.
Zai said she had heard that injuries sustained by a student
during a student group event of which the university was not aware
had led to threats of a lawsuit, and may have prompted the
university to tighten its liability policy.
Julio Rodriguez, president of the Queer Alliance, said he was
not sure the new policy was necessary.
“It’s not horrible, it’s just
unnecessary,” he said. “It’s just another attempt
(by the administration) to de-legitimize student organizing on this
campus.”
Zai said many student groups were not aware that their events
were not covered by UCLA insurance. “I think it came as a
shock when student groups realized they weren’t covered by
the university,” she said.
Now, student groups will have to find insurance plans to cover
individual events, or have attendees sign liability waivers.
But according to Nelson, groups will probably be able to apply
for university funding to cover insurance costs for events
happening on campus and certain types of events happening off
campus.
While groups will no longer have university-affiliated sponsors,
they will still have advisers within the Center for Student
Programming. Nelson said the office would help groups work within
the new policy.
“It’s going to be important for students to get as
much information as they can from their advisers,” he said.
“Whatever students do, we want them to do it with eyes wide
open.”
But the new policy does not affect all student groups.
Groups sponsored by the Community Service Commission and the
Student Welfare Commission are not subject to the new conditions
because they are considered to be part of those organizations.
Both Nelson and Zai said they did not think the new policy would
change groups’ regular activities.
“I think, for the most part, most (groups) won’t be
impacted,” Zai said. “Just if they have some bigger
events or some riskier events.”
She added that larger campus traditions such as Bruin Bash and
Dance Marathon will not be affected by the change because the
university has separate plans for how to cover them, though the
same may not hold true for other events.
“I’m worried more about the smaller events,”
she said. “I worry about (the policy) discouraging
potentially very good programs because of liability
issues.”
Nelson said the policy may have to be tweaked as the year goes
on. “There are probably going to be unforeseen issues that
are going to come to our attention,” he said.