The Graduate Student Association swore in its new officers and
outlined plans to improve graduate student resources at its forum
meeting on Wednesday.
During their last meeting of the year, outgoing forum members
gave tokens of appreciation to President Charles Harless and Vice
President-Internal Dorothy Kim for their contribution to GSA over
the past two years.
Harless and Kim said they were leaving their offices in good
hands. Both will also be sitting on the Associated Students of UCLA
board of directors next year.
“The two years that I’ve been in GSA have been the
best two years I’ve had at UCLA, but it’s also time to
move on and let other people get the experience,” Harless
said.
Kim said she has seen GSA become more proactive in solving
graduate student issues, and that she believed next year’s
officers will bring further improvements to the association.
The new officers ““ Academic Affairs Vice President Marilyn
Gray, Vice President-Internal Victoria Irigoyen, and President
Hanish Rathod ““ were sworn in by the old officers. The new
vice president-external, Laura Sanchez, was unable to attend the
meeting.
After taking oath, Irigoyen outlined her plans to develop a
graduate student lounge in the current GSA office.
She said the office space, along with the newly established
Graduate Student Resource Center, will be turned into a place where
students can discuss issues affecting them without the time
constraints of forum meetings.
Forum also approved decisions made by the Appointments Board
early last week for GSA cabinet appointments.
The board, comprised of one representative from each academic
council, interviewed and selected candidates to fill most of the
positions. New officers will handle the filling of three leftover
vacancies in the Student Fee Advisory Committee and ASUCLA
Communications Board next year.
In preparation for next year, forum passed a resolution
establishing the UCLA Environmental Resource Center to provide
students with educational tools and other materials concerning
environmental and social issues.
“We want to take the existing office to the next level.
“¦ It’s the best way to utilize our space and encourage
people to take advantage of our resources,” said Matthew
Hardy, director of the Environmental Coalition.
Currently the Environmental Coalition, comprised of both
undergraduate and graduate students, is funded only by GSA.
Harless said because of the extra costs associated with
establishing and maintaining the center, the coalition is working
on getting funds from the Undergraduate Students Association
Council.
Forum also passed a separate resolution expressing support for
the Student Academic Rights and Responsibilities document. The
document, which condenses policies for graduate students from
various university sources, is set to be discussed at the Academic
Senate Graduate Council today.
Harless said the Graduate Division is ready to endorse the
document and plans to distribute copies to all incoming graduate
students beginning next school year.
“Hopefully the document will make it easier for students
to understand what’s going on in their departments,” he
added.