The Associated Students UCLA Board of Directors embarked on their annual retreat from June 15 to 17 at the UCLA Conference Center in Lake Arrowhead, where they reflected on their accomplishments and challenges in the past year and discussed goals for the coming year.
The board stayed at the center, a picturesque lakeside property owned by UCLA Housing, which caters to conferences and the Bruin Woods program, a summer camp for UCLA alumni and their families.
Introduction and Reflections
The board introduced several new faces to its roster.
Two undergraduates, Abdallah Jadallah and Christian Alfaro were appointed by USAC President Cinthia Flores for two-year terms, while current undergraduate representative Jesse Rogel was reappointed for an additional one-year term.
The graduate students association also appointed three new board members: Hironao Okahana, Karleen Giannitrapani and Michael Weismeyer.
David Lowenstein, an administrative representative and the director of the central ticket office, gave an in-depth presentation of the association’s history later in the evening. The association has operated since 1919 and nearly fell into bankruptcy in the mid-1990s, Lowenstein said.
The past few years have seen the association at its most lucrative, despite the state of the national economy, he said.
Chief financial officer Rich Delia said that while ASUCLA has been affected by the current economy, its sales are still strong, especially compared to other retailers.
Board members attributed some of the recent success of ASUCLA in part to the passage of the SAFE Referendum in 2005, which raised student fees exponentially ““ from $7.50 in 2005 to $55 in the 2009-2010 year ““ to support the association.
ASUCLA’s Executive Management Group
The second day of the retreat introduced ASUCLA’s executive management group, which runs the daily operations of the association.
The management group reflected on its successes and obstacles throughout the past year.
Roy Champawat, the director of the student union, said that the remodel of the Cooperage, a restaurant area in the first floor of Ackerman Union, has been completed.
He added that the post office and arcade were moved, and sustainable hand driers were installed in the restrooms.
However, Champawat also mentioned that the Game-On! portion of the Cooperage, which is slated to have several game consoles and computer stations, is about a year behind schedule.
Cindy Bolton, the director of ASUCLA restaurants, said some of her division’s main successes have been the opening of Carl’s Jr. and Curbside at Avenue Q on the first floor of Ackerman Union, the introduction of North Pole frozen yogurt at Northern Lights cafe and an ongoing plan to improve the quality of coffee.
The association has also embarked on a number of projects to make textbooks more affordable, said Neil Yamaguchi, the academic support director.
Textbook prices have been reduced by $650,000, and the association added a textbook rental program and expanded the guaranteed buyback offer for more textbooks, he said.
Another decision that board members lauded was the vote not to renew the association’s contract with Russell Athletic, which previously licensed UCLA apparel.
Russell Athletic came under scrutiny this past year for alleged unfair labor practices, and when the contract came for renewal, board members decided to look for a new licensee.
“This showed our commitment to the greater good, which is one of our core values,” said Rob Williams, executive director of ASUCLA.
But despite the year’s successes, association management teams expressed concerns about the current layout of the UCLA store in the B-level of Ackerman Union and introduced new designs for next year.
Patrick Healey, the UCLA store director, said the computer store and the Adidas section may see an expansion in the next year in order to accommodate more sales space.
Healey said another concern is with the Hill Top Shop in the residential hill near Covel Commons.
The shop, which is the only ASUCLA operated entity on the residential hill, currently has an outdated design, he said.
The management team said it had no concrete plans at the moment, but will work with the board in the next year to plan a renovation.
Future Projects and Renovations
On the third day of the retreat, the board discussed future projects and renovations.
Bolton said that the food service division is working on implementing cafes in the Young Research Library and James West Alumni Center, which are tentatively scheduled to open in 2010.
But she said her main focus is on developing the food concepts for the South Campus Student Center, which is starting construction in December 2009 and will replace the Bombshelter, located in the Court of Science.
The board concluded the retreat by discussing the incoming beer and wine eatery on the first floor of Ackerman Union and setting its goals for the upcoming year.
Amanda York, a retiring undergraduate representative, said students have been calling for a pub on campus for several years and added that most other UCs already serve alcohol on campus.
Due to concerns from university administration, the proposal for an on-campus bar did not come into fruition. But in recent years, the board has worked with the university to create a casual dining concept that serves beer and wine.
York said that the efforts to create this space started intensively in 2007, when the association chose the Wolfgang Puck restaurant chain to operate the space in February 2009.
There is no final timeline for the beer and wine eatery, but Williams added that he hoped to see it open in 2010.