A.S. COUNCIL — It’s no secret that the
Jolla
isolating the noisy hooligans who monopolize affordable housing and drag down
local property values. Trying to integrate students into a neighborhood that
shuts down at 10 p.m. is a historically difficult task, but A.S. Associate Vice
President of Local Affairs Aida Kuzucan is making significant strides toward
bridging that gap. Or, she would be — if anyone were helping her.
To onlookers at the Dec. 2 La Jolla Christmas Parade, in
which A.S. Council representatives were scheduled to appear, it must have
seemed like Kuzucan was the victim of one of the oldest practical jokes on
record. After waiting a fruitless hour in full elf garb for someone to help her
spread the campus’ holiday cheer, she was forced to inform parade officials
that UCSD would not be participating.
When examined in a greater context, the situation represents
a problem more serious than mere embarrassment: the noticeable and pervasive
lack of zeal among many of this year’s councilmembers. In contrast to its perpetually
active predecessor, this group’s inconsistent attendance at its other events
last quarter has left more than just Kuzucan wondering where the council has
been hiding.
For the parade, the problem appears to be one of
follow-through.
Things looked promising when Kuzucan initially proposed that
UCSD enter a float into the local holiday celebration, and 25 of her peers
promised to help her build it. When no one showed up at designated construction
time, however, she abandoned the float idea in favor of a simpler request: that
councilmembers simply attend the parade. Twelve agreed to do so, but the number
dwindled to five the day before the event.
“I thought, ‘At least
going to say that UCSD will be represented in the community,’” Kuzucan said.
Ultimately, though, she was wrong — not a single
councilmember joined
that day, effectively flipping
jolly middle finger. While some of the no-shows offered up excuses of varying
legitimacy, Kuzucan claimed that a number of them never even mentioned it
again.
Whatever reasons they may offer, UCSD’s already strained
community relations took another hard hit — one that our student leaders could
have easily prevented.
Prior to the council’s constitution revamp last year, local
affairs were left up to the habitually swamped external relations liaison,
making their implementation even more difficult. The creation of Kuzucan’s
position was designed to promote the development of community ties, which, if
anything, should have increased the number of new projects in which the council
could participate. What it was not designed to do, however, is facilitate the
shirking of councilmembers’ responsibility to act as the representatives of the
student body. Maintaining local relationships, like any council duty, is not a
simple one-person job.
Whether the aborted parade was a result of apathy or just
bad timing, it should serve as a reminder that each councilmember represents
more than just him- or herself as an individual. If a certain college’s two
senators skip out on an event, for example, the college is not represented. In
a case as extreme as this one, if every single councilmember bails on a
commitment, the campus as a whole is not represented.
If issues with participation were parade-specific, it would
be easy to write the situation off as an isolated instance and chalk it up to
circumstance. However, Vice President of Student Life Donna Bean has publicly
reprimanded the council for its lackluster participation on more than one
occasion, after its members skipped out on a food giveaway designed to promote
the council’s on-campus presence, along with two other activities she
organized.
“For the most part, the council just doesn’t show up to
things,” Bean said.
Looking at the council as a whole, there could be any number
of possible reasons as to why the group has gotten off to a slower start than
in prior years. In the former constitution, each college had four senators as
opposed to the current two, which promoted the instant formation of groups
ready to tackle more ambitious projects. Weekly council meetings offer their
own clues, as heated back-and-forths between councilmembers over even
inconsequential matters paint a clear picture of polarized and divided
governance.
The old council also had the leadership of charismatic
ex-President Harry Khanna, who undertook several massive projects — including
the turf war over Student-Run Television and the aforementioned constitutional
overhaul — that required and engaged the attention of the full council. This
year has lacked any such large-scale efforts, which could explain the absence
of enthusiasm with which senators have treated the smaller issues. In any case,
the reasons are immaterial: The council needs to unify quickly, or it’s the
students they represent who will be losing out.
In an attempt to remedy this problem, Bean and A.S.
President Marco Murillo are planning major events in the coming weeks to
increase the council’s visibility, while Kuzucan is currently assembling a newsletter
of councilmembers’ upcoming projects. As of two days before Kuzucan’s deadline,
only half of the council had responded to her. Clearly, these are steps in the
right direction, but they will only be effective if participation sees a sharp
increase.
It would certainly behoove the MIA councilmembers to unbury
their heads from the sand and get themselves into the game as quickly as
possible. Otherwise, if they continue to act as individuals and not a unified
group, they could easily find themselves the next melancholy elves warding off
the stares of judgmental soccer moms.
