When questioned about her platform for Cultural Affairs commissioner, Bernice Shaw eagerly spouted out her accomplishments from the past two years along with her clear plans for the future.
This combination of experience and passion makes the Students First! candidate the best choice over her opponent, Anglie Taneja of Bruins United.
Shaw’s plan to create an Arts Advocacy Coalition encourages more opportunities for student performance on a campus that lacks a strong independent student-art presence.
Underground student bands, musical genres laying under the radar and independent student performance groups can finally get more structured support to share their art with the community.
Shaw has developed a clear personal philosophy for her position. She said she sees it as her duty to promote student art on campus while using art to educate students.
Shaw’s experience also shows when she discusses her two-year involvement with the UCLA JazzReggae Festival, demonstrating that she is able to juggle the logistics of throwing one of the biggest student-run music festivals in the nation.
And while the Editorial Board believes she can put her energy into more important matters than creating a more sustainable JazzReggae Festival, such as expanding the largely neglected Kerckhoff Art Gallery, we know she will be able to put on a strong festival for next year.
This is not to say that Taneja is not a strong opponent, but rather that her plans are not as clear or effective.
Taneja seems unclear of the logistics of planning Concerts for Cash, a central part of Bruins United’s platform that is aimed at being a fundraiser for the council.
And instead of starting up new projects, such as a study-abroad cultural-orientation program and her Cultural Awareness Coalition, expanding existing programs could be just as effective.