There’s been a lot of noise about campus politics the last few days, perhaps to compensate for the thundering silence from voters last week. Voter turnout in this year’s Undergraduate Students Association Council election was a whimpering 26.5 percent, the lowest it’s been in the past 10 years. It’s gotten so bad, some candidates have […]
Category Archives: Opinion Columns
William Bleveans: Bella Martin’s USAC victory should be revoked to uphold election code
Unfortunately for politics-weary students, the high drama that characterized last week’s student government elections is unlikely to abate anytime soon. The results of this year’s Undergraduate Students Association Council elections left many students in disbelief. Bella Martin, a candidate for general representative, won a council seat despite revelations that she had committed a serious violation […]
Ani Gasparyan: UCLA departments should refrain from using Eurocentric terms like ‘Middle East’
The “Middle East” is ever-present in the news. We hear it in mainstream media. Our elected representatives toss the phrase around. Universities even use the phrase when naming their academic departments. There’s just one question: middle east of what? The countries that are included in the region have alternated throughout history and continue to change […]
William Bleveans: USAC Election Board’s sanctions are misdirected, arbitrary
Although sanctions against rogue regimes like Russia and North Korea regularly command our attention, the sanctions imposed by our student government officials deserve scrutiny as well. Each election season, the Undergraduate Students Association Council Election Board is tasked with imposing sanctions on candidates who violate various provisions of the election code. Candidates can be sanctioned […]
Emily Merz: USAC candidates’ feminist advocacy just an empty political talking point
Candidates in this year’s Undergraduate Students Association Council elections have made feminism a focal point. That is, if you think spouting vague quotes about standing up for women is feminism. Many of this year’s candidates will tell you that they do have specific, tangible platforms intended to address gender discrimination on campus. But when you […]
Scott Bays: Further reducing campaign spending limits would democratize USAC elections
UCLA’s undergraduate student government does a good job preparing students for politics in the real world – especially when it comes to blowing large amounts of cash on their campaigns. It’s no secret UCLA’s student government elections are costly. The Undergraduate Students Association Council even passed an amendment to its election code last month that […]
Emily Merz: Niche transit systems could lower LAX congestion, increase LA’s ridership
New York. Chicago. San Francisco. Philadelphia. Boston. The densest cities in the U.S. have one thing in common: They all have well-developed public transportation. Then there’s Los Angeles, the second-largest city by population, and perhaps the slowest moving part of southern California. LA is constantly berated for its underdeveloped public transportation. The concern is valid: […]