Bodyguards Assigned to UCLA Activists for Vote

Fearing a repeat of the racially tainted violence that disrupted last week’s student body presidential election at UCLA, officials have assigned bodyguards to several student activists who received threats because of their role in disqualifying a Latino candidate.

The election is to be held again today, with beefed-up security on campus and professional poll-watchers to monitor the ballots.

The extra security is needed to make students feel they can vote without intimidation, said Winston Doby, UCLA’s vice chancellor for student affairs. “The administration’s responsibility is to ensure an environment to allow the process to go forward freely and openly,” Doby said. He added that the need for such measures in conducting a student election was highly unusual.

At least four student government leaders received telephoned threats since a gay-oriented publication on campus published their home telephone numbers and urged readers to let those student officials know what they thought of their role in disqualifying Lloyd Monserratt from becoming president. Monserratt won both the primary and runoff elections earlier last month but the student government overturned those votes after it was allegedly discovered that Monserratt did not have the required number of course credits or high enough grades; Monserratt says the university lost paper work that proves he took an independent study class that would make him eligible.

In today’s election, Monserratt’s name has been removed from the ballot. His supporters claim that the majority on the Student Council did not want a Latino president and used a technicality in an attempt to give the presidency to Mike Meehan, an Anglo. However, Meehan’s supporters say they are simply playing by the rules and that Monserratt is trying to hide his inadequate academic record behind trumped-up charges of racism.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles), chairman of a special Senate committee on UC admissions, met with some students and administrators at UCLA on Wednesday and later held a press conference during which he said the school’s administration was partly responsible for the troubles by not making minority students feel welcome on campus. The election melee last week, while unfortunate, “was merely a catalyst for what was brewing underneath,” Torres charged.

Hearing in Fall

Torres said his committee will hold a hearing in the fall about racial tensions at UCLA and will require the school to submit a report on what he said has been a series of racial incidents on camus and on the school’s plans to ease tensions. He also said he willl ask UC President David Gardner to convene a meeting with chancellors of all nine UC campuses to discuss issues affecting minorities. Torres said he might use the budget as a weapon against UC, which is otherwise independent from the Legislature.

UCLA Vice Chancellor Doby agreed that there are some racial problems on campus but no more than at any other large university. “I don’t think it is appropriate to say all minority students dont feel comfortable here,” said Doby, who is black. He said that election problems were more the result of internal student politics than of any discrimination and that Monserratt should not have been allowed on the ballot in the first place because of the candidate’s academic record.

Urged Against Disruptions

Monserratt and Torres both said they urged minority students not to disrupt today’s election. Last Thursday, a rally on election day about alleged racism turned into brawls after more than 200 students, many protesting the disqualification of Monserratt, stormed polling areas. No one was seriously hurt or arrested, although UCLA officials said they are investigating the incident and that some students may face disciplinary charges.

Meehan, who is considered the front-runner among the five candidates on today’s ballot, said Torres’ visit the day before the election would exacerbate tensions. “Why does he fly all they way from Sacramento? This gets him a lot of media play,” Meehan said.