Editor:

Cal-PIRG congratulates contributing writer Maya Linson on her Jan. 9 commentary about the dangers, both physical and environmental, of sport utility vehicles. As a result of individuals like Ms. Linson, who are willing to voice their disgust, automakers are developing cleaner and more economical vehicles, as reported in the Jan. 6 online edition of the Los Angeles Times.

General Motors Corp. recently announced plans to begin producing as many as 1 million gas-electric hybrid vehicles, including versions of gas-guzzling trucks and sport utilities. Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Daimler Chrysler also have plans to begin selling hybrid versions of their popular SUVs.

So let your voice be heard. Denounce the proliferation of SUVs on our campus and in our community and country. Consumer demand determines product development; demand nothing less than a safe ride and a healthy environment. Automakers are listening.

— Lauren Yamane,

Intern for Sustainable Communities, Cal-PIRG

Criticism of UCSA was ill-informed, unjustified

Editor:

As your UCSD representatives to the UC Student Association, we read with great interest Ed Wu’s report (Jan. 9 issue of the Guardian) regarding UCSA. UCSA is a coalition of UC student governments dedicated to educating, organizing and advocating for students at the UC Office of the President, Board of Regents and at the state legislative level. One of the primary functions of UCSA is to ensure that a high quality UC education remains accessible to all students. Our action agenda for this year includes empowering youth to vote (remember all those voter registration booths around campus last quarter?) and organizing against tuition increases. Because of UCSA’s campaign efforts in this regard in the past, the Regents have not raised student fees since 1994.

In his article, Ed expressed that he was concerned about providing stipends to the chair and vice chair of UCSA, especially given UCSA’s 2002-03 budget deficit of $600.

The UCSA Board has long talked about providing a stipend to the chair and vice chair because these positions require a tremendous amount of dedication to the organization and long working hours. The chair manages not only the full-time executive director, but also sets meeting agendas, coordinates UCSA committee chairs and speaks with reporters about UCSA objectives whenever they call. The chair is also often out of town attending several meetings, including Regents meetings, UCOP meetings, state legislative meetings and other organization meetings that involve our allies. The Board’s rationale behind offering the stipend was to increase the number of candidates who are able to run for the chair and vice chair positions.

Without a stipend, many students would not have the “”luxury”” of running for these positions. Instead, highly qualified students might have to choose paid employment to make ends meet. It is not feasible that a student take four classes, dedicate an additional 20-30 hours per week as UCSA’s chair, and then work a paying job. Additionally, the move to offer stipends is not unprecedented; several student associations offer stipends ($1,200 per month at some Universities of California) to their officers. Still other associations, such as the U.S. Student Association, require that their officers to take a year off from academic work because of the long hours involved. Out of these considerations and more, the Board unanimously approved a monthly $350 stipend for the chair and $250 stipend for the vice chair.

Finally, the state of California and the UC system are facing a tough year of budget cuts. For instance, in the governor’s budget, proposed student fee increases are set at 29 percent for undergraduates, 32 percent for graduates and 35 percent for professional students. As such, UCSA wanted to ensure that the chair and vice chair could invest as much time as possible advocating against these proposed tuition increases, rather than be forced to take gainful employment during these tough economic times. The UCSA Web site (http://www.ucsa.org) is currently being given an overhaul, but will be up and running shortly. Students are welcome to contact their external affairs officers (who are also your campus representatives to UCSA) or attend a UCSA meeting. We would also like students to join the “”No More Fee Increases”” campaign. Contact your A.S. external affairs officer ([email protected]) or your Graduate Student Association external affairs officer ([email protected]) for more information.

— Heather Flowe,

GSA VP External

Steve Klass,

A.S. VP External, UCSA Chair