How Independent?

From time to time, something is done or said by student government that raises controversy or concern. The response at UC and its various campuses is that student government is independent of the university, i.e., the university is not responsible for what occurs.

The problem is that student government, like any government, needs revenue to operate and the university collects the fees that provide its revenue. A recent article in the Daily Bruin on a proposal to raise such fees, notes that increases in fees must be approved by the chancellor and the president of UC:

UCLA students may be able to vote on one of the Undergraduate Students Association Council’s costliest referendums this May. USAC approved three referendums to appear on undergraduate students’ ballots in the May election – including the Bruin Success Referendum, Bruin Bash Referendum and Bruin Life and Undergraduate Experience Fee Referendum – at its Feb. 24 meeting. The Bruin Success Referendum could add an additional $55 to students’ quarterly fees, while Bruin Bash would be an extra $3.13 and BLUE Fee Referendum would charge $27.

The UC Office of the President and Chancellor Julio Frenk must approve the referendums before they can officially appear on the ballot for the undergraduate student body to vote on. Any campus-based student fee collected is required to have a 25% return-to-aid, meaning a quarter of the fee is returned to students who qualify for financial aid...

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2026/02/27/fee-increasing-referendums-pass-usac-await-chancellor-approval-for-may-ballots.

In short, student government proposes; UC's administration disposes. Tuck that fact away for future reference, if and when some controversy arises.