Associated Students of the University of California, Riverside
| Formation | 1954 |
|---|---|
| Type | Student association |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) organization |
| Location |
|
Previous President | Aram James Ayra (2017-2018) |
Current President | Semi Toluwani Cole (2018-2019) |
Main organ | ASUCR Senate |
| Website | asucrexchange |
The Associated Students of the University of California, Riverside (ASUCR) is the officially recognized students' association of UC Riverside. It was founded in 1954, and is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit unincorporated association. ASUCR provides funding to over 400 registered student organizations on campus, advocates on behalf of students to solves issues on campus and in the community, engages with administration to develop student-centric programs and campus initiatives, and develops programming to improve the student experience.
History[edit]
ASUCR was founded in 1954 and immediately took an active role in shaping the budding campus' political and social culture. Members of ASUCR, along with student activists and campus leaders, were instrumental in developing projects such as the KUCR Radio Station, a campus child-care center, a political debate union, fine arts workshops, and social events.[1]
During the 1960's, ASUCR came into conflict with the Hinderaker administration over a resolution calling for President Lyndon B. Johnson to support the right of African Americans to vote in Selma, Alabama. Chancellor Hinderaker demanded that ASUCR members rescind the resolution, threatening to vacate the entire student council if they did not comply. Five ASUCR officers, including the council president, resigned in protest of Hinderaker's position, and the remaining council members reluctantly complied with his request.
In recent years, ASUCR made the transition from a parliamentary system to a three-branch governing system [2]. Various student political parties, commonly known as "slates" have come to dominate ASUCR politics as of late. The parties vary majorly in their ideology and representation, with some parties having a heavy fraternity presence and others being composed of mostly independent student communities and campus activists.
Controversy[edit]
Since the 2014 election year, ASUCR has received repeated criticism for being overwhelmingly populated by "Greeks", students involved in fraternity and sorority life. Most notable is the influence of Kappa Sigma, an unregistered fraternity in bad standing, on the undergraduate political process. The Highlander, the student-funded campus newspaper, has kept tabs on the various infractions and election violations that the Kappa Sigma political machine (running under a variation of party names including YOURSide and [OUR]Voice, has committed.
Many different parties and slates were formed in opposition to the corrupt and disengaged Kappa Sigma party, but failed to gain much traction. Parties such as Vox Populi, PAC (Pride, Action, Change), and the Orange Party all contested YOURSide's claim to the elected seats, but were consequently defeated at the polls. Numerous accusations emerged with each passing election year that Kappa Sigma was allegedly engaged in vote tampering, candidate intimidation, internal student government corruption, and countless election and campaign violations. While a significant amount of evidence had surfaced to support these claims, formal investigations were never conducted.
In the 2017 election cycle, a former member of the YOURSide Party and non-Greek candidate, Aram Ayra, filed an appeal with the ASUCR Judicial Council against the YOURSide Party. Publicly stating his disillusionment with the both the "corrupt party system" and the "broken practices" of YOURSide party members, he presented numerous documents that displayed elections and campaign violations committed by the party and its members.
The resulting decision handed down by the Judicial Council banned the formation of any campus political parties in the 2017 election cycle and stipulated that candidates would have to run for positions independently, without the assistance or support of any party [3]. This was an unheard of practice at the time, as many of the other universities within the UC system had party and slate structures in place and political systems that encouraged their formation. Ayra subsequently won the 2017 election, declaring it a victory for the student democratic process at UC Riverside.
References[edit]
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