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Graduate students’ awareness of the Graduate Student Association is limited, and many students are not aware of its social activities and advocacy work. But officers say they are beginning to combat apathy with better communication and anticipate greater turnout in this year’s officer elections.

Michelle Sugi, the vice president of academic affairs for GSA, said GSA might not be seen as effective because graduate students are decentralized and have to make an effort to find out about GSA’s services.

But she said that is beginning to change. “In this past year, we’ve made a tremendous stride in making it more visible to graduate students,” she said.

This year, GSA began sending out e-mails to all graduate and professional students directly through the registrar’s office rather than through student affairs officers as they did in the past, resulting in more effective transmission of information, she said.

Jared Fox, the president of GSA, said a greater number of candidates for GSA is evidence of its visibility this year. “I think the fact that we have contested positions for every position is evidence of how much exposure (GSA has). I think we will have higher voter turnout than we did last year,” he said.

Fox said that last year, two positions were uncontested until the deadline for candidacy was extended, and voter turnout was only 17 percent, a figure he called “disappointing.”

Many people don’t realize that some of the services they use come from GSA, he said.

“Every graduate student and every professional student is taking advantage of what GSA can offer them in some way,” he said, citing reduced student fees and increased fellowships.

He said ignorance of GSA’s functions harms students themselves. “We’ll still be here and provide services for them. If they aren’t taking advantage of it then that’s their loss, in my opinion.”

Most students have heard of GSA-sponsored activities, such as grad bar and Melnitz movies. But GSA’s lesser-known role includes allocating funds to student groups and publications, creating and running the graduate student resource center and advocacy work.

Recent advocacy has included lobbying state and national governments to limit increases in student fees and advocating in the capital for greater ease for international students obtaining student visas.

Ali Parsa, a second-year electrical engineering graduate student, said he attends GSA-sponsored activities such as Engineering Graduate Student Association events, but he was not aware of GSA advocacy work.

“I never knew they do lobbying. I thought they were just a student organization,” he said. “If they do something effective, that’s good.”

Low participation continues to be a problem.

Sage Fahimi, a first-year law student, said few law students attend GSA events such as grad bar, but she is aware of them because she does read GSA e-mails.

“I’m wary about my fees being used for something that I’m not involved in,” she said, but added that it depends how substantial GSA fees actually are. Fahimi explained that she took out a lot of loans to attend UCLA. “I feel like my money should go to my education.”

But Kris McFarren, a third-year law student, disagreed. He said advocacy work to lower fees was much appreciated.

“I’m sure they’re doing a good enough job. I’m sure (the fees are) well spent. I support them,” he said. McFarren said he knew few classmates who attend GSA functions. “(Low voter turnout) seems like a problem to me. Also, I’m part of that problem. I would hope it would be closer to 50 percent,” he said.

Saeed Chehrazi, a first-year electrical engineering graduate student, said he is busy under the pressure of his graduate adviser and does not follow GSA’s advocacy work or plan to vote in the election.

“I personally never track this news. I don’t think I’d (vote) this time just because I’m busy. I prefer not to vote. I may vote for someone who’s not eligible,” he said.