The Undergraduate Students Association Council is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Council meetings take place every week on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in Kerckhoff 417 and are open to all students. Watch a live stream of the meeting on the USAC Live! YouTube channel.
Agenda
- The council unanimously approved contingency programming fund allocations of $3,000.
- The External Vice President Travel and Advocacy Grant was approved without objection or discussion.
- The council unanimously approved “A Resolution in Support of the College Diversity Requirement for the University of California, Los Angeles.”
Officer reports
- President Avinoam Baral said he was disappointed with councilmembers who did not attend a meeting with Chancellor Gene Block, since they missed an opportunity to represent the student body.
- Newly appointed Internal Vice President Heather Hourdequin said she is collaborating with LGBT leadership council for LGBT Awareness Week which will be held the third week of spring quarter. She also mentioned that the Associated Students UCLA T-shirt design contest received a record number of submissions.
- External Vice President Conrad Contreras said he met with Block to discuss tuition hikes and asked him to speak to student protesters. Contreras also spoke about student action against tuition hikes on campus and in San Francisco last week. He said he is planning on working with Student Regent Avi Oved on legislation that holds the UC Board of Regents more accountable. He also suggested the possibility of using the IGNITE campaign to increase UC funding from the state.
- General Representative 1 Manjot Singh talked about meetings in progress regarding The Hub, a multicultural space on the Hill. He said he acted as an emcee for the Sikh Student Association’s culture night last week. He said his office will be working on Bruins Night Out in winter. He talked about a “Teach Me How to Linkedin” workshop Dec. 3 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Mathematical Sciences 4000.
- Facilities Commissioner Carlos Quintanilla announced that UCLA students beat USC students in a rivalry week competition to see who could pledge to conserve the most water. He also announced that $20,000 has been allocated to UCLA to begin installing solar panels on ASUCLA buildings. He is also scheduled to meet with the administrative vice chancellor about increasing the number of gender-inclusive bathrooms.
- Student Wellness Commissioner Savannah Badalich said that the All of Us campaign staffers who belonged to the president’s office before former USAC President Devin Murphy’s resignation will be absorbed into other offices so that they can continue their work. She also announced next quarter’s Consent Week and SWC’s planned events and speakers.
- Transfer Student Representative Negeen Sadeghi-Movahed said she will bring a resolution to create a UC-wide transit system to the council table in January. She announced that Transfer Pride Week will be Jan. 19 to Jan. 23. Her office is working on creating a website to record its work and offer resources to transfer students. She also announced that her office is working on an “I am a Bruin Transfer” project to humanize transfer students.
- Alumni representative Laureen Lazarovici talked about the importance of strategizing how to expend energy effectively in regards to advocacy campaigns. She also said maintaining good relationships between councilmembers is important.
- Administrative representative Cheryl Sims announced the 2015 27th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratorical Contest.
Appointments
- Baral’s appointment to the Internal Vice President office, Heather Hourdequin, was interviewed and unanimously approved by members of the council before being sworn into office. She will serve as the USAC Internal Vice President for the remainder of the 2014-2015 term.
Compiled by Shani Shahmoon and Catherine Liberty Feliciano, Bruin contributors.