New Executive Budget Shows a Misplacement of Priorities

By Wafa Ben Hassine

President, ASUCSD 9

I want to take this opportunity that The Guardian has graciously given me to apologize to you, the student. Despite our best efforts, the Associated Students student government is failing to achieve its mission and purpose.

The UC San Diego Associated Students budget now deals with 8-percent monetary cuts due to many reasons. One of these reasons can be attributed to the UC Regents’ collective decision to decrease enrollment at all campuses, with the exception of “flagship” campuses UC Berkeley and UCLA. In light of the current situation, the A.S. Council has struggled to address the budget shortfalls in a serious and responsible way.

In deciding to increase funding for on-campus concerts this year by $22,000 (in addition to the already allocated $802,349), council members have chosen to slash funding for key programs, such as college council mixers and leadership outreach programs on campus. The same council members though, had no idea where such an exorbitant sum of $22,000 would come from. Despite their good intentions, some councilmembers seem to have a severe and deleterious misplacement of priorities — one that has lead to much emphasis on trivial, short-lived entertainment events rather than long-term programs that benefit all students. These members’ decisions — albeit seemingly full of good intention — held just about as much water as the notion of UCSD funding a football team and reek of fiscal irresponsibility in a time of financial hardship.

While issues of diversity, access and affordability to our university may be a far-removed thought for a small minority of very privileged students on this campus, for the large majority of us, we confront these issues on a daily basis. Students like Albert Lin, a biochem major who works two part-time jobs and whose parents both work the graveyard shift as mail handlers at the Long Beach Processing & Distribution Center Postal Plant in order to support his college education, face the very real prospect of not being able to afford next quarter’s student fees.

The decisions of the UC Regents, the state legislature, and in particular California’s current governor (remember to vote this Nov. 2!) have been disastrous to our public education system and to our own financial futures. Fortunately, the Associated Students is a body that is composed of students that work for all students as elected representatives. We can affect these state budgetary issues in a very direct manner and raise awareness about said issues among the student body — right here and right now. And for this reason, I have tremendous hope in A.S. Counciland continue to do so, despite the feelings of doubt at times. I do believe in all that we can achieve as a diverse, yet unified, student body.

We have failed you last night, fellow Tritons. I assure you, however, that I give it my all to re-prioritize our collective focus. I know that my office will continue to work for students on these issues and continue to advocate on their behalf, prioritizing the very real and tangible issues of access and affordability that affect us throughout our daily actions and lives.

Let’s keep moving forward.

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