This board endorses Andrea Hester for Financial Supports commissioner.
Her plan to address the day-to-day costs that students face shows a practical approach to alleviating the financial concerns of all students.
Students must put up with high prices for products at their student union, parking and meal plans on the Hill.
As president of the On-Campus Housing Council and chairwoman of the Office of Residential Life Policy Review Board, Hester has the experience and the contacts necessary to advocate for a more flexible meal plan that would allow students multiple swipes per meal period but without those swipes rolling over week-to-week ““ an intermediate between a premier and regular plan.
Hester also plans to set up a fair for students seeking on-campus, part-time jobs and to create a centralized database of all the various scholarship offices’ offerings. Many of those jobs are in obscure offices, and it is hard to access the postings.
While this board questions the utility of expanding the mobile application for UCLA Transportation, we admire her idea to create a parking scholarship for commuting students who cannot afford to live on campus. This simple project can broaden the scope of who USAC serves to directly impact commuters.
Compared to her opponent, Carlos Juarez, Hester’s platforms and mindset of tackling day-to-day costs are more concrete and have the potential to benefit the most students possible. Juarez has admirable goals of increasing visibility of scholarships, but this board questions the effectiveness of his methods.
In her interview, Hester showed a good understanding of Associated Students UCLA, the workings of the Hill and UCLA Transportation, giving us confidence that she is able to represent students with respect to their financial needs and concerns.