Tuesday, May 5, 1998
Vice presidential candidates share stances
USAC: Geyer hopes to foster student activism; Rego advocates
less political role for government
By Dennis Lim
Daily Bruin Contributor
Graciela "Liz" Geyer and Daniel Rego are prepared to brawl for
the external vice presidency.
Geyer and Rego, the two candidates for the undergraduate
external vice president’s position, bring two very different views
of how student government should operate to the election.
Geyer, the Praxis candidate for the position, believes student
government should instill a belief in students about their ability
to change major social issues affecting them.
"I believe in activism and everyone’s ability to change their
world," Geyer said.
"I don’t buy this myth of student apathy. It’s simply not true.
The students I know and work with are active and care about issues
that affect us all," Geyer continued.
Rego, while not disagreeing with Geyer’s position, does not
believe that student government should involve itself in the
specific national issues that Praxis advocates.
"For the past three years student government has been a tool for
a few to use for their own political agendas," Rego said.
"If I’m elected I will refuse to entangle our student government
in these divisive national issues," he said.
As external vice president, Geyer would place emphasis on
educating the student body about larger national issues she claims
affect students more than they know.
With fellow Praxis candidates, P.J. Gagajena and Stacy Lee,
Geyer hopes to build a base for student activism at UCLA. Focusing
"half on educating and half on activism," the base would allow more
students to participate in student organizing.
According to Geyer, student organizing comprises the most
important aspect of student government.
"Being in an office won’t change anything; the only way to
change things at this school is to organize," Geyer said.
"It’s not until you get a bunch of pissed-off students together
that anyone will give you any attention. Without organizing, change
won’t come about," she said.
Daniel Rego presents a more conservative view of student
government.
Rego stresses a smaller role for student government, smaller
USAC fees for students and – above all – a smaller role for the
Praxis slate.
Praxis and its predecessor Students First! have politicized
student government and taken it away from the issues that really
affect students according to Rego.
"Praxis promotes insanity, frankly I support sanity, that’s why
I’m running with Sanity ’98," Rego said during the endorsement
hearings.
"They only advocate themselves and their own political agendas,
which are a little to the left of Marx," Rego said.
Rego’s dislike for Praxis stems from what he sees as an attempt
by members of the current student government to exclude certain
people from USAC.
Rego cites the lack of equal representation he sees on the USAC
council currently.
"I don’t feel like I have ever been represented by any USAC
member or that they have even made an effort to reach out to me or
any student outside of their own interests," Rego said.
If elected, Rego vowed to reverse this trend and open the office
to anyone interested in student government.
First among his plans would be a restructuring of the way
student government operates. Programs that affect the campus as a
whole will receive funding while those which fail to benefit the
whole campus will not.
Along with fellow Sanity ’98 candidates, Martin Chippas and Paul
Mim Mack, Rego hopes to implement an "open door" policy. The policy
would allow for anyone, regardless of political belief, to take
part in USAC and its operations.
"We want to address the concerns of the general campus, not
those of an extremist agenda," Rego said.
Assessing her opponent, Geyer expressed doubts about Rego’s
concern for more campus-oriented issues.
The external vice president, as Geyer explained, traditionally
tackles more state and national issues. On-campus issues have
usually been addressed by smaller offices like the general
representatives and the facilities commissioner.
"The external vice president addresses large national and state
issues like reg fees and affirmative action," Stacy Lee, the
current external vice president, affirmed.
Daniel Rego
Liz Geyer