The opinion piece, “Split programming from voting” (April 26), remarks that the historically uncontested seat for the Undergraduate Students Association Council, Campus Events Commission, Student Welfare Commission and Community Service Commission, make for an election process that is not “fair and open.” Further, the opinion piece states that the programmatic nature of these commissions does not justify their voting power on USAC.
We would like to address and clarify some of the issues mentioned in this piece to better promote understanding of the election process and USAC.
First, we respectfully but strongly disagree with the claim made that the election process is not “fair and open.” In the context of USAC, an open election means any academically eligible undergraduate student can run for any office, and every undergraduate student is eligible to vote. A fair election means every candidate must abide by the rules and regulations set forth by the Election Board.
We do nothing to restrict or manipulate the election process. An independent candidate running unopposed violates neither of these tenets. As for the comment that in-house elections are “unjust and biased,” we would like to add that slates also choose their candidates internally. If a slate-backed candidate were to run for an office uncontested, would the fairness of that election be compromised?
Finally, we would like to address the assertion that a programmatic office of USAC does not deserve a vote on council.
Every single USAC office, from the external vice president to the general representatives, has put on programs this year; it is one of the means by which we serve the student body.
However, the fundamental goal of every office is to “offer an invaluable service to the campus and surrounding communities and provide an opportunity for thousands of students to participate in and benefit from these endeavors.”
Programming is only one way to offer these services. The Campus Events Commission implements programs because they are a highly effective way to foster community and engage students, and the Student Welfare Commission provides an invaluable service in addressing students’ health and well-being.
The Community Service Commission’s main function is actually not programming; its main goal is to support community service organizations and efforts on the UCLA campus.
The commission-based structure of USAC was designed to include student welfare, campus events and community service because they are vital parts of student life and important areas in which student government can serve the undergraduate student body. Our roles and voting power on USAC ensure that the voices of student welfare, campus events and community service are represented, both on USAC and through various university entities.
As USAC officers, we take our commitment to serving and representing the student body very seriously, and we are open to dialogue from students on how we can best represent student needs.
Charles Ma, USAC Campus Events commissioner
Jamie Yao, USAC Community Service commissioner
Linda Phi, USAC Student Welfare commissioner