Letters

Published: Monday, September 30, 2002

ASUCLA workers grateful for new benefits A few days ago, one hundred food service workers finally won our fight for better pay, good benefits and a union contract under AFSCME Local 3299. We are employees of the Associated Students of UCLA and work at the Treehouse, Cooperage, LuValle Commons and other food courts on campus. The victory means different things for each of us, but the raises and benefits we won will make a big difference for everyone. For the first time our families will have health care benefits sufficient to provide good medical care for our children. We used to earn minimum wage, and life was very difficult, but this victory will make life a little better for families like ours. We are also very grateful for all the support we received over the last year from students, faculty and political leaders. First, the students cared enough about us to get involved and support our fight for justice. Students were always at our rallies, meetings with management and planning sessions. We also want to thank members of the faculty who supported us by writing letters to management and opinion pieces in the Daily Bruin. We received a lot of help from community leaders and political leaders like Antonio Villaraigosa, who came to visit us. They told us they supported our fight for justice and would stand behind us. We also learned something about ourselves. For years we had to be quiet about the problems we faced. We didn’t speak up because we were afraid we would lose our jobs. Now we know that by sticking together, and with lots of support, we can win a better life. By Luz Real and Alfredo Gomez ASUCLA food services workers

Students’ priorities ignored without student vote In the article “College-aged voter turnout below Others,” Chris Neal is absolutely right when he says students need to “express their collective needs” by voting in the next election. Politicians do not cater to the youth of America because students are not the ones that get them elected. Only 20 percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 voted in national elections and only 5 percent for local elections, less than half that of older voters. Statistics like these have to change if we want to get more money for education, affordable housing options and reasonably priced and accessible transportation options. With millions of youths across the state and thousands living in our district we have the power to demand and receive all these things if we go to the polls on Nov. 5 and speak our minds. Several organizations on campus are committed to making a huge voter turn-out at UCLA a reality. The Youth Vote Coalition, CALPIRG and members of USAC have made this a priority. Organizations like these are making the process of voting easier for students. So why not get to the polls, take five minutes of your life, and speak your mind. Mark Thornton Second-year, history Better ways to bring students together than alcohol I wanted to share some of my thoughts about the article “Student association considers allowing a pub in Ackerman.” First off, I am in complete opposition to the idea of opening up an alcohol-serving pub on campus. The reasons stated in the article are quite erroneous, and I think that other options and approaches to “increasing student participation and involvement in student life and the union” can be taken that do not pose the risk of promoting unhealthy behavior My concerns originate from several research reports that have shown external environmental factors, including pricing and availability of alcohol in the area surrounding a campus or on campus, that serve to affect drinking behavior among college students. I am honored and proud to say that I am a student, staff member, and alumnus of a UC that does not promote or make available alcoholic beverages to its students and staff. Having read about allowing a pub saddens me for the reason that it will send a message to students that alcohol and student life go hand-in-hand. I am not saying that having a pub will directly cause or influence student drinking behaviors, but it will have an indirect impact on attitudes and social norms regarding the acceptance and tolerance towards college drinking. Rachel Gonzales Social Welfare Ph.D student