On-Campus Housing must address students’
concerns
Thank you for bringing to the student body’s attention the
failure of UCLA Housing to serve the needs of on-campus residents
with dietary restrictions (“Dining causes students to
compromise beliefs,” News, May 14). It seems that not much
progress has been made since I served on the 2001-02 On-Campus
Housing Council.
But one issue that The Bruin didn’t address is the
unavailability of a single-sex floor for residents with religious
or personal needs. Until Housing truly tries to accommodate the
needs of a diverse student body, on-campus housing will fail to
truly serve the UCLA community.
Also, Jarrett Quon erroneously labeled “OCHC” as one
of the hands squeezing the students in his cartoon (Viewpoint, May
29). The On-Campus Housing Council is a representative body of
on-campus residents that focuses on all-Hill programming and
housing policy. If Quon wishes to comment on the $700 housing fee
hike, it is UCLA Housing & Hospitality Services who should be
the target of his criticism.
Benjamin Kong Third-year Economics and international
area studies
Commissioners deserve a council vote
Commissioners in USAC have a justified reason for why they have
a vote on council. Normally, these apolitical offices within the
Undergraduate Student Association have been the balancing portion
of the council. Let me tell you what the commissioner’s power
to vote does for the council. It provides insight, thought and
decision-making that are not powered by slate ideology and slate
infrastructure ““ it essentially provides independent
rationale for issues and plans.
Commissions within USAC throw out undoubtedly the most
programming on campus. Campus Events Commission, Community Service
Commission, Cultural Affairs Commission and Student Welfare
Commission combine to provide hundreds of programs each year for
UCLA. From Total Wellness Newsletters, UCLA Health Symposium, ROLL
AIDS, UCLA Dance Marathon, UCLA Children’s Walk for Life,
Campus Events Movies and Noontime Concerts and UCLA JazzReggae to
Project Literacy and much more, we provide every avenue for
students to relax, enjoy college, and develop their character.
I tend to think that commissioners are instrumental in doing
programs that will make students’ experience at UCLA one they
can look back on and remember fondly. So if there’s been
debate on whether commissioners should even have votes on the table
in USA, think about it and you’ll rationally agree that they
should.
Peter Trinh 2001-2002 USAC Student Welfare
Commissioner
Indian mascots should be banned, changed
The mascot issue is important for many people, and it should not
be merely dismissed as trivial. In a survey done by Indian Country
Today, a leading publication for the American Indian community
nationwide, 75 percent of respondents believed that the usage of
American Indian mascots and symbols should be a violation of
anti-discriminatory laws. Furthermore, 81 percent of respondents
believed that these images do not honor American Indians, but
merely serve to demean and miseducate.
I personally find it offensive that anyone would compare
American Indian mascots with mascots from other groups, like the
Minnesota Vikings, or even animal mascots. When the discussion
turns to other ethnic mascots, we are dealing with groups with
different histories and relationships with the larger society. When
schools and alumni groups start doing faux Christian rites at
football games, then we can begin to discuss who is really honoring
who.
The fact is that American Indian mascots represent cartoonish
figures that are reminiscent of a time in this country’s past
when other ethnic groups, such as blacks, Latinos and Asians, were
demeaned, disrespected, and denied their civil rights. American
Indians are not being honored when caricatures of them are paraded
around without knowledge of the history, culture or significance of
the original inhabitants of this land. This is not some politically
correct issue because this is based on moral grounds. Sacred rites,
sacred feathers and whole nations are being robbed of their
dignity. Everyone should be offended by this continued raping and
pillaging of a fellow American community.
I would ask the UCLA community to vote in favor of any
legislation that would favor true representation over
discriminatory and hurtful images. Legislation of this sort would
give schools a transition time to obtain new images and mascots,
and so the cost to the schools would be close to zero. The
legislation would ban only certain names, and
“Warriors” would not be one of them.
Passing this legislation would be proof that we as a society are
finally ready to realistically honor and respect the indigenous
communities of this land. Support this legislation, not because of
what I or a few others say, but because it is the right thing to
do.
Eric Sanchez Third-year Political science