Members of the Associated Students UCLA Finance Committee and the Communications Board discussed the association’s finances and possible models for UCLA Student Media at their monthly meeting Friday.
Budgets
- In January, The UCLA store had high sales in areas such as textbooks, which have low profit margins, and low sales in high-profit areas such as BearWear.
- ASUCLA has had higher-than-expected costs in implementing UCPath, an acronym for University of Caifornia payroll, academic personnel, time recording and human resources, for its employees.
- The South Campus Student Center store and the Hill Top Shop had high sales in January, possibly because the quarter began early in the month.
- Sales at the new Music Café are higher than expected, but sales at Café Synapse in the Gonda Neuroscience and Genetic Research Center have been sluggish, said Robert Williams, executive director of ASUCLA.
Communications Board discussion
- UCLA Student Media performed close to its budget in recent months, but showed falling advertising revenues.
- Members of the Communications Board and the ASUCLA Finance Committee discussed whether cutting the Daily Bruin’s printing days would make financial sense.
- Members of the Finance Committee asked Communications Board members to bring different models for Student Media’s long-term plans to a future meeting. Student Media director Arvli Ward said the board thinks most departmental spending that can be cut is on the administrative side.
Agenda Items
- The committee recommended that the ASUCLA Board of Directors spend up to $300,000 to renovate the Ackerman Global Viewpoint Lounge for its use by UCLA Student Affairs and for student performances and presentations.
- The committee also recommended that the association upgrade the UCLA Store and UCLA restaurants’ cash registers, adding tablets where customers can swipe their credit cards. The Board of Directors will vote on the motion Feb. 27.
Compiled by Sam Hoff, Bruin senior staff.