Wednesday, May 1, 1996
Hopefuls discuss views on student government's roleBy Brooke Olson
Daily Bruin Staff
On a hot and lazy Tuesday afternoon in Westwood Plaza, UCLA students watched as the three undergraduate presidential candidates explained their future visions for student government.
In a event sponsored by the Daily Bruin, incumbent John Du of the Students First! slate, Brad Miller of the United Students slate and J.D. Tovar of the Bruin Vision slate debated on how student government should be run.
While the crowd cheered for their favorite candidates and heckled the others, the nominees questioned each other and explained their goals for the upcoming academic year.
What is the biggest obstacle facing UCLA students?
Miller: The biggest obstacle affecting students today is the same as it's always been it's getting through your four or five years here at UCLA and because it's an obstacle it affects students in different ways. ... It's student government's responsibility to help these students overcome these obstacles.
Du: Access to education is the biggest obstacle. There have been attacks on financial aid and proposed fee increases. ... The federal government proposed $20 million of cuts in financial aid this year. ... Students need to be ready to take action to stop these attacks on education.
Tovar: I think it's perhaps the amount of division on campus. A lot of people tend to keep in their little shells and groups and that's something student government needs to work on.
What is the role of the student government?
Du: What student government needs to do is not only to work with UCLA students in terms of organizing against the attacks on education ... but make sure we make connections on a state and national level ... And we need to provide direct services to the students, such as expansion of the booklending program and opening up the Scholarship Resource Center. We need to have a holistic view of what student government can do for the students.
Miller: We do need to work on financial aid and fee freezes but that is the external vice president's job. Student government needs to take care of issues here at UCLA ... and concentrate on issues here, such as lower parking fees and more study space.
Tovar: Student government needs to be more relevant to the students and provide services to the students that they will directly benefit from.
Closing statements:
Miller: Du talks about sacrificing (campus issues for external issues) and that's exactly what Students First! stands for is that we have to sacrifice something to get something else. United Students platform is that you can have both. We have an external vice president to work on financial aid and fee hikes ... but it is ridiculous that the council will neglect issues that affect students here at UCLA. You can have both.
Just because Students First! haven't done it doesn't mean it's not possible. Students First! this year, while they've been in office, has lost affirmative action, study hours and space have been decreased, parking fees have been increased for the first time in five years, student officials have been removed from ASUCLA ... and this campus is more divided than ever. We can't afford another year of which students first.
Du: I think it was very clear that there is a lot of misinformation and lack of experience on the part of the candidates ... We need to move away from this negative campaigning and ... focus on our issues.
This is all about leadership. Leadership does not mean dogging on other candidates and focusing on what they've done. (Students First! was) elected on a platform of fees, financial aid and affirmative action and we made sure we fought for those issues.
This is the student body who was able to achieve these victories. This is how we assess student power ... by holding the people accountable to students. We will continue working registering the people to vote, we want to continue to advocate for the students on a campus, state and national level.
The only way we can do this is make sure we have leadership who has experience, commitment and a willingness to work on issues that affect all students. In the history of activism, Students First! has routinely demonstrated that they are committed to students and their needs. We need a student government that will fight for students; we need a student government that will put students first.
Tovar: I'm not a politician and I have no USAC experience ... but next year will most likely be a very mixed board. (Bruin Vision) feels that by not getting so actively involved in these issues that are so emotional for students that you can't really affect change. You will only be fighting and butting heads for each other.
(Bruin Vision is) completely neutral on these issues and believes that this will facilitate better relations between all groups who are doing a lot of benefit among the community. It would be a lot more effective if there was no fighting.
FRED HE/Daily Bruin
Undergraduate presidential candidates J.D. Tovar, John Du and Brad Miller (left to right) discuss their perspectives on student government during Tuesday's afternoon debate in Westwood Plaza.