The Ask USAC table on Bruin Walk is supposed to increase the visibility of the Undergraduate Students Association Council ““ but if you have not seen it, you are not alone.
For USAC, visibility is undoubtedly a major concern. Students should know about our government, especially because more than $100 of our fees go toward it.
But the Ask USAC table is merely a Band-Aid on a larger issue: Many students do not know what USAC is. Instead of relying on such students to approach a table hidden among the clamor on Bruin Walk, officers and staff members should pursue a more active, aggressive outreach campaign both on campus and online.
To increase awareness and gain more followers among the student population, USAC should target incoming freshman and transfer students at orientations and meetings early in the year. Because new students naturally want to learn about campus events and resources, USAC outreach to these students would be more productive than appealing to students who are hurrying to class in the middle of the day.
General Representative Matt Spring describes Ask USAC as an effort to increase awareness of USAC events and resources, as well as an outlet where students can express their concerns. While it may not be possible to do all of this at orientation, there are more effective ways of conveying USAC’s presence on campus and garnering student response throughout the year than the current method.
USAC is most successful in outreach when it can interact with students in a personal way. For example, in the program “USAC Goes to You,” officers and staffers go directly to student group meetings, present information and listen to the concerns of students. In a setting like this, USAC can have a substantive conversation with students, instead of trying to reach every student at once on Bruin Walk.
This idea should be extended to the Hill, where USAC representatives could attend floor government meetings to provide information and promote activities.
The concept behind the table is not a bad one, but USAC is utilizing a messy channel of communication. Some UCLA student groups can table successfully on Bruin Walk. Dance Marathon volunteers stand out amid the crowds on Bruin Walk. With their neon shirts, loud music and aggressive fliering tactics, they make a concerted effort to be noticed. The Ask USAC table does not operate on the same level.
Instead of wasting their efforts sitting on Bruin Walk throughout the week, USAC should focus on an online version of “Ask USAC.” Students who do have questions or comments about USAC activities could then turn to this more convenient online forum, which they would have the ability to access at their leisure 24 hours a day.
The idea behind Ask USAC is a great start, but our student government needs to ask itself what it can do to more effectively increase visibility rather than blending into the crowd.
Do you have anything to ask USAC? E-mail Khan at skhan1@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to opinion@media.ucla.edu.