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Wednesday, 4/30/97 Government faceless in eyes of students Efforts by USAC must be made to entice undergraduates to vote

What's USAC? My jaw dropped in astonishment. The Undergraduate Student Association Council elections loom ever so close, yet a first-year history student did not recognize the abbreviation for her own student government. I marveled at this phenomenon as it played out before me again with another first-year student. My curiosity took the better of me as I probed further into the student's knowledge of USAC trivia. "I really like the speech that one guy gave at the beginning of the year ... What's his name, again?" (This statement refers to the convocation ceremony held at the Los Angeles Tennis Center at the start of Fall Quarter. Here we are at UCLA, an institution of "higher" learning and no one seems willing to educate themselves about student issues. I also find it rather disturbing that the student government of UCLA cannot make itself known to the entire student population before election time. Where are the attempts to educate and involve students? Or perhaps it is voter apathy? Imagine not knowing the name of the president of the United States. When someone refers to John Du, the current USAC president, as "that one guy who spoke at convocation," we must examine the source of this ignorance in order to make some educated decisions during the elections. Perhaps the incumbent student government's complacency undermines any effort to reach out to other student groups. But of course, this is not the case. Hopefully you took a gander at the Daily Bruin article reporting on the recent controversy involving the USAC sponsorship of an organization that fights for the rights of oppressed Palestinians in Israel. The next scapegoat for the lack of knowledge about USAC is voter apathy, which forever seems to plague these hallowed halls of UCLA. What causes this affliction? No matter the political level, voter apathy forces voter turnout numbers to stay low. (Look at the Los Angeles mayoral race or the GSA elections last year.) But can constituents be blamed for this? Last year, I witnessed an amazing election of a higher moral code filled with mudslinging and hostility. I hear rumors and allegations of various kinds. It frightens me to think that rational individuals could be duped into being preoccupied with matters that detract from the real issues at hand such as registration fees, campus safety, affirmative action, student involvement and outreach, and group sponsorship. What "party" best represents your needs and your sentiments? (I can't begin to describe to you how pleased I am to see the number of parties and candidates vying for a political office this year.) There is Students First!, which currently controls USAC. At one time, this group focused on immigration reform, registration fees, affirmative action, diversity and retention programs. This party also advocates a diversity education requirement and operates the book-lending program. A newly created organization is Access Coalition. Ben Hofilena, the president of the International Student Association and candidate for USAC president, described Access as a coalition of groups attempting to initiate more student involvement and more direct student services. Access seeks to protect students from increases in registration fees and to work with other groups such as CALPIRG in a post-Proposition 209 UCLA. Bruin Vision, resurrected from last year, offers voters more choices during the elections. This group advocates the sale of alcohol on campus for safety reasons and university revenue. (In case you don't know, UCLA is a "dry" campus where the only alcohol that can be sold here is in some over-the-counter cough medication.) Along with these three groups are the Bruin Libertarians and a number of independents. (Yes, I am a Libertarian, and no, I am not affiliated with this organization.) So what? Who cares about all this useless political babble? Isn't USAC a powerless bureaucracy filled with self-interested individuals? Well ... no, it's not. USAC wields its power in many different ways from sponsoring an event in Westwood Plaza (like all the free entertainment at noon) to fighting to keep registration fees reasonable. USAC is held accountable to the students by Student Media, the Judicial Board and students who care to voice their concerns. Why should I vote? (Chances are you probably didn't even vote in the last local or national election.) I can rant and rave about the merits of marching to a polling booth and casting a ballot. But you won't vote. No one cares. Just allow a bunch of self-serving elitists to take control of your student government. Pardon the sarcasm. But please take the time to educate yourself about all these parties and go find a polling site. Why? (Sigh ... I will now rant and rave about the merits of voting.) 1. You realize the important role student government plays in maintaining registration fees at their current levels. 2. You seek to have a government body representative of the majority of UCLA and not some small portion of it. 3. You want to make student government work for you. (This is the purpose of having one. Is it not?) 4. Voting is a privilege, and you want to use it before some crazy despotic absolutist takes over the government. (Trust me, my time will come.) 5. The lonely people sitting at the polling booth prefer to have something to do other than the crossword in The Bruin. 6. Polling sites are all over campus and are probably close to your class. Therefore, it will only take a few minutes. 7. You want to use your power to make student leaders accountable for what they do. (Several students already took the initiative by presenting cases to the Judicial Board and by writing to The Bruin.) Now, it's your turn to do something. Test the political waters of UCLA and cast that ballot. Yes, Julianne has been permitted to rant about all sorts of things. If she has angered you in some way, send her an e-mail at jsohn@ucla.edu. Previous Daily Bruin story: A Menacing Cloud Shadows Humanity , April 16, 1997