It may have been 1:40 a.m., but outgoing members of the
Undergraduate Students Association Council were all smiles as they
watched their successors being sworn in early Wednesday
morning.
Tuesday’s USAC meeting, which began at 7 p.m., marked the
end of the outgoing officers’ terms, and it was immediately
followed by the first meeting of the 2006-2007 council.
The new officers had to wait nearly six hours before they could
take their oaths of office.
The outgoing council concluded its final meeting with several
hours of speeches, in which they thanked and praised one another
and reminisced about the year.
Many officers recounted the first time they met other
councilmembers, gave advice to their successors, and talked about
the relationships they have developed on council.
“Some of my lifelong friends are at that table,”
said outgoing General Representative P.C. Zai, who was sworn in as
the new Facilities commissioner. “I think this council,
despite our differences, accomplished more than previous
councils.”
Though long year-end speeches are a council tradition, incoming
External Vice President Tina Park jokingly called the three-hour
process the old council’s “hazing ritual.”
Many councilmembers said they were glad this year’s
speeches remained civil and positive. In past years, councilmembers
have used the opportunity to hurl final insults at one another.
“I thought it was a good way to end it,” said
outgoing President Jenny Wood. “We were able to come away
with positive feelings about the year.”
Still, the outgoing council spent much of its last meeting
dealing with divisive issues.
The outgoing council passed controversial changes to both the
office space allocation guidelines and the Election Code at its
final meeting.
They voted to change office space allocation guidelines so
student groups will only be granted office space for a set amount
of time not to exceed five years. Previously there was no limit on
how long a group could remain in its office.
In another controversial move, the outgoing council voted to
change the threshold for amending the Election Code, from a simple
majority to two-thirds of council.
These changes have been debated for weeks, and several outgoing
officers encouraged their successors to continue working on both of
them next year.
Wood said the final meeting was characteristic of many of the
meetings throughout the year, as the outgoing council spent a lot
of time changing guiding documents like the bylaws and the Election
Code.
The new council did not waste time getting down to business. Zai
said the 55-minute meeting was the most efficient she had
attended.
After being led in the alma mater twice by Administrative
Representative Rick Tuttle, the new council immediately turned to
the appointments to the four USAC standing committees.
Council unanimously approved candidates for the Appointment
Review Committee, Budget Review Committee, Constitutional Review
Committee and Undergraduate Students Association/Board of Directors
Programming Committee.
The council also decided to begin working on changes to the
Election Code next week.
Incoming General Representative Joline Price said she enjoyed
her first meeting and hoped it would lead to a productive term.
“I’m looking forward to, hopefully, a positive year
on council and really getting things done,” she said.
The new officers are part of a split council, with five
councilmembers each from Bruins United and Students First!, as well
as three independents.
Slate politics did not seem to affect the new council’s
first meeting, and Zai said she hopes that will be a trend.
“It was like the honeymoon period, and I want to keep
that,” she said. “As long as we keep those lines of
communication open, we should be fine.”
Wood said it was exciting to watch the new council take over,
and that she has confidence in its abilities.
“It’ll definitely be an exciting year,” she
said. “I felt excited to see student activists carry on the
strong legacy of leadership.”