13. The Legacy of Student Activists of The Eighties Each spring during its three years of publication (1987-89), the Isla Vista Free Press interviewed the student its editor felt had been most involved both on the UCSB campus and in Isla Vista. These interviews by Carmen Lodise have left an important legacy to students who want to get involved on campus and in Isla Vista. Rich Laine graduated from UCSB in 1987. Over five years, he had a broad range of involvement in student and community government. From a resident assistant in the dorms, to a year with Student Lobby and a term on the Isla Vista Community Council during the 1984-5 cityhood campaign; from a year on the Associated Student Legislative Council, to a year as A. S. vice president during a term the reigning president was forced out of office and the Chancellor was under siege; from a run at the A.S. presidency himself, only to step down at the last minute in solidarity with a (winning) candidate who was running almost solely on a platform of forcing the Chancellor to resign (he did); to most of a year spent as a special consultant to A.S. Leg. Council when they took back control over operation of the UCen from the UCSB Administration. Rich Laine saw it all. Free Press: What started your involvement at UCSB? Were you active in high school and then you started right off here? Laine: Actually no. Nothing to speak of in high school, and nothing much in my freshman year at UCSB. But early in my sophomore year a friend talked me into running in a special election for a vacancy on Leg. Council representing the dorms. I won, and got heavily involved in committee work and found that I had an interest and a facility to get things done. During my junior year I had a part-time job as Metro Lobby (Student Lobby's local government activist) and was an RA in the dorms. It was in April 1985 that I ran for external vice president and won on a slate which included Jim Hickman as president and Todd Smith as the other (internal) vice president. We started out so optimistically. Each of us had good working relations with the administration and quite a bit of experience in A.S. But it all turned into a nightmare with the revelations that Jim had been involved the year before in some questionable expenditures of a few thousand dollars of A.S. funds, which was compounded by some inadequate financial oversight by the then-executive director. The result was a big loss of credibility as Jim was forced to resign, a $100,000 deficit for the year we were working in, and a hold placed on all of our platform ideas. At the time, I was disappointed as to how little help and support we got from (UCSB Vice Chancellor) Ed Birch and the rest of the administration. They said as much, "It's A.S.'s problem, let A.S. clean it up." In retrospect I learned a lot from the situation about how bureaucratic structures work, and A.S.'s accountability system was strengthened considerably. Free Press: Why did you run for A.S. President in the spring of 1986, and more importantly, why did you drop out in favor of Doug Yates? Laine: Based on that year's experience, I felt that A.S. needed a president who had hands-on knowledge of the roll it plays in the governance of UCSB, plus a person who had a working relationship with the players, especially given (Chancellor Robert) Huttenback's possible resignation. 1 2 3 4 home

Šislavistahistory.com 2002