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  KEITH ENRIQUEZ/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Members of Samahang Pilipino model traditional attire, which they also wore during the group’s culture night in May.

By Rachel Makabi

Daily Bruin Contributor

Photos by Priya Sharma, Keith Enriquez, Jana Summers, Ed Rhee

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Many students coming from a small high school or junior college to a large university join organizations to help them find a more personal community within the campus.

At UCLA, where more than 500 organizations exist, students who don’t find their interests in an already-established group can create their own, said Michael Cohn, student affairs officer for the Center for Student Programming, which manages and provides assistance to such groups.

“To start an organization at UCLA is very, very easy,” Cohn said.

During the 2000-01 school year, Shahrooz Eshaghian reinstated a campus chapter of the American Medical Student Association, which focuses on career options in public health.

“The key to succeeding here is to get involved early so that you don’t become just another ID number.” said Eshaghian, a third-year psychobiology student. “This is a huge campus, but you have to make it smaller and more personal for yourself.”

  Second-year urban planning graduate student Sonja El-Wahil participates in the Environmental Coalition’s die-in for Burma held in the spring.

A group can either be independent, such as religious or political organizations, or officially registered with a campus sponsor.

An independent group requires any combination of three students, faculty or staff to state their interest in starting the group, and completion of a one-page registration form. These groups do not receive office space, nor can they apply for most campus funding.

On the other hand, an officially recognized group requires a signature from a department chair and advisor in addition to the three signatures of interested members. These groups can apply for campus funding, use campus facilities and affiliate themselves with UCLA and its logo.

  Third-year business student Joe O’Boyle and third-year philosophy student Nelson Amador gather around the table in the play “Fussball.”

According to a 1999 study by the University of Western Australia, those who participate in student organizations gain leadership experiences that lead to success in future studies and employment.

“You make a lot of friends and you learn a lot of different skills that you wouldn’t have otherwise, like making proposals and managing the budget,” said Craig Newman, vice-chair of the African Student Union. “This stuff is all-important if someone wants to go into business or study economics.”

  Undergraduate Students Association Council President Karren Lane speaks with Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante about affirmative action on the steps of Ackerman in March.

Newman, a fourth-year American literature student, said he decided to join ASU because of its outreach efforts to the community.

One of the larger groups on campus, ASU is a cultural, educational and advocacy organization which joined others in rallying for the recent repeal of SP-1 and 2 – University of California policies that eliminated affirmative action for six years.

Despite the large size of the group, Newman said it is not difficult for students to have their voices heard if they attend staff meetings.

But Esther Tseng, president of the Association of Chinese Americans, said the large size of ACA complicates matters when members are trying to pass items on the agenda.

  Third-year political science and Chicano studies student Yolanda Pendeda teaches a workshop called “Better alone than in bad company.”

“Although we were able to offer our own input on issues, we still have such diverse beliefs, even within the group,” said Tseng, a fourth-year economics student. “At times, it was difficult to mobilize everyone into one direction.”

While Tseng said the group’s size made it difficult to get things accomplished, attending sessions or events enabled her to know more members than she would otherwise.

Recent events hosted by ACA include plays, a Firecracker Run to commemorate the Chinese New Year and cultural nights with ethnic food. Involvement in the group, Tseng said, has allowed her to explore her own roots and identify with people who share a similar background.

  Ryan Callis and Tim McMullen spray paint a board at the Veritas forum in the spring. Melanie Ho, a fourth-year policy and media studies student, said she joined Bruin Democrats to meet other people concerned with politics. During the 2000-01 school year, the group co-sponsored a city council forum for local candidates from District Five, which includes areas of Los Angeles, such as Van Nuys, Bel Air, Westwood and Century City.

After discovering the group on BruinWalk her freshman year, Ho immediately became an officer and its Web site creator.

“A campus as large as UCLA intimidates a lot of people,” she said. “Student groups are an excellent (way) to find a place where your voice is heard and you can make friends.”