Student elections are often won by the most visible candidates. The hefty financial backing necessary to create this visibility in turn creates a bottleneck effect that shrinks the pool of potential student leaders to those who are well-connected enough to run. Last month, The Bruin published an article revealing just how important donors have been […]
Author Archives: Aram Ghoogasian
Aram Ghoogasian: USAC activism task force needs proactive approach
The streets of Berkeley were filled with student protesters, tear gas and riot police Saturday night. On the same night, not a murmur was heard at UCLA. UCLA’s student activism has paled in comparison to Berkeley’s, regarding the responses to the recent tuition hike and incidents of police brutality across the country. The Undergraduate Students […]
Aram Ghoogasian: USAC bylaw would undermine student interests
When governing bodies vote to make their guiding documents more lenient, red flags are rightly raised. The Undergraduate Students Association Council is taking just such a vote Tuesday. The student government will vote on a bylaw change that aims to clarify what constitutes a conflict of interest for sitting councilmembers. USAC President Avinoam Baral said […]
Aram Ghoogasian: Bonfire reaction indicates apathy toward student activism
The only thing that didn’t go up in flames at the annual Beat ‘SC Bonfire and Rally was the pile of wood in the middle of Wilson Plaza. A small group of undergraduate and graduate students surrounded the unlit bonfire Thursday and refused to leave in protest of the UC Board of Regents’ approval of […]
Aram Ghoogasian: USAC must vote ‘yes’ on divestment, consider consequences of inaction
Hundreds of students stood in two rows to voice their opinions on divestment until close to dawn at a student government meeting last February. Now our student government is gearing up for round two. This time the meeting will probably be over before the sun rises Wednesday morning, but tensions will still run high. At […]
Aram Ghoogasian: Diversity requirement’s success hinges on community
Decades of student advocacy came to fruition Friday morning when the results were finally announced after weeks of hype. The diversity requirement proposal passed with a 332-303 vote. If the proposal passes through the Undergraduate Students Association Council and the Committee of Rules and Jurisdiction, first-year students will need to take a course with a […]
Aram Ghoogasian: Election Board should reevaluate voter turnout strategies
The special election included five candidates, two referendums and one constitutional amendment. But the only number anyone is talking about is 13.6. The turnout for this election was never expected to be particularly high, but the numbers were abysmally low at a rate of 13.6 percent. Other than just looking bad for our campus, the […]