A.S. vice president of external affairs candidate Lisa Chen advocates links between students and workers, citing their causes as similar. She has managed and been a part of multiple rallies and protests such as the one pictured above, when municipal employees took to Library Walk to demand higher wages. (Will Parson/Guardian File)

Although she is running unopposed, Lisa Chen’s extensive
lobbying experience warrants her the position of A.S. vice president of
external affairs, a quintessential link between student interests and those of
local, state and national legislators.

A veteran UC Students Association member who has personally
met with several high-profile politicians to speak about topics ranging from
student fees to mini-dorms to outreach and retention, Chen sensibly advocates
building more student internships within the external affairs office in an
effort to maximize the office’s potential.

Of major importance next year will be the office’s goal to
register 4,000 new student voters in time for the November presidential
election, a task Chen is more than ready to handle, considering her commitment
to student empowerment.

But perhaps more importantly, Chen is in a unique position
to further develop the external affairs office’s relationship with the
relatively new Student Promoted Access Center for Education and Service, a
student-run organization dedicated to outreach and retention efforts that was
created after students passed a referendum last year.

Chen, who said that persuading Chancellor Marye Anne Fox
(currently the only UC chancellor not to do so) to match funds for
student-initiated outreach projects is one of her major goals, is no stranger
to higher education accessibility issues; she helped lead an 80-member UCSD
delegation to the annual Students of Color Conference this year and has been a
very vocal proponent of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors
Act.

In an effort to improve the external affairs office’s
visibility to the average student, Chen said that she would make engaging
students one-on-one on Library Walk and at campus events such as Bear
Gardens a top priority. Though
rather lofty to expect that she will be able to meet with enough students to
make a dent in student apathy at UCSD, at least Chen is willing to try.

Chen also seeks to bridge the divide between students and
workers via the creation of an alliance with the American Federation of State,
County and Municipal Employees. By forging a united front, Chen said students
and workers would be able to more effectively engage the university when it
comes to matters that should be of mutual concern, such as student fee
increases.

“There’s a problem when workers can’t even afford to bring
their kids to the university they work for,” she said.

Chen’s commitment to the office’s growth makes her an ideal
candidate for the position, especially at a time when a united student front is
more important than ever before.