While Jason Gaulton has two years of experience on the Campus
Events Commission, he still struggles with sensitivity issues
similar to those weakening this year’s and last year’s
commission. As such, the Daily Bruin will not endorse him.
This year’s commission published an advertisement
blatantly offensive to blacks, while last year’s commission
published an ad similarly offensive to Native Americans. While the
commission has since publicly apologized, there was little trace of
apology in Gaulton’s personal statement to The Bruin. He
failed to even mention the situation until asked to do so. Instead,
one of his goals is to “get gorgeous women to go out
with” him. He said he would like them to visit his
office.
Gaulton defends his comments as “jokes,” but his
gender insensitivity is unacceptable. Gaulton identified himself as
a person “who places student interest above all else.”
Surely, respecting women is a student interest.
When asked what the Campus Events commissioner should do to
prevent future offensive lapses, Gaulton suggested sensitivity
training ““ he must follow through with his own
suggestion.
By properly training his staff and appointing a publicity chair
with more social awareness, Gaulton can move toward ending the
commission’s developing pattern of insensitivity.
Gaulton’s future plans include putting on a show in Pauley
Pavilion, improving contracts with movie studios and increasing
publicity efforts. The improved contracts would make studios
accountable for movies they fail to provide. This is important
because the movies shown in Ackerman Union toward the weekend
provide a cheap, convenient, close source of entertainment for many
students.
Planning a massive show of some type in Pauley Pavilion, such as
a concert, as Gaulton has suggested, would be quite an impressive
spectacle if he can pull it off.
Gaulton’s goals are good for his commission, and his
sincerity in pursuing them is obvious. But he needs to learn from
his predecessors’ mistakes in order to mold himself into a
more mature student leader ““ especially since he’s
going to be sitting on council representing the student body.
Gaulton deems himself both “logical” and
“open-minded.” By applying these qualities to his seat
on USAC as well as his publicity efforts, Gaulton will succeed in
the face of his chauvinism.