The UCLA Graduate Students Association is the voice of graduate students on campus. The association meets for forum every three weeks and takes positions on current issues affecting graduate students. Forum meetings are at 5:30 p.m. in the Ackerman Viewpoint Lounge.
Agenda
- The forum approved adding an advisory referendum about UCLA’s leave of absence policy to the spring ballot with a 15-3 vote. The advisory referendum will ask for graduate students to respond to the change in the leave of absence policy last fall and if they support the current policy, support the policy prior to the fall 2012 change or if the policy should be redesigned.
- The forum approved placing a fee increase referendum on the spring ballot with a 15-3 vote. The referendum would increase graduate student quarterly fees by $1.50 for the Graduate Writing Center, which is currently threatened by a budget deficit unless it has a revenue increase.
- The forum passed a resolution to call for administrators to remove the lifetime maximum benefits caps of UCLA’s University of California Student Health Insurance Plan with a 13-2-3 vote. The resolution calls for UCLA to support removing the lifetime cap, even if it means raising policy fees, to aid students who face medical bills that exceed the current $600,000 cap.
Officer Reports
- Graduate Students Association President David Zeke put together a referendum on raising the graduate students fees for the Graduate Writing Center after receiving Chancellor Gene Block’s approval. He and Nicole Robinson, GSA Vice President of Academic Affairs, discussed recent changes to the leave of absence policy at the Graduate Council, and Zeke reported they supported GSA’s stance on the issue.
- Vanessa Thulsiraj, GSA vice president of internal affairs, said she attended the John Wooden Center Board of Governors meeting, where they discussed upcoming facility upgrades for the Marine Aquatic Center.
- Robinson said she attended a meeting about the Graduate Writing Center, where they reestablished their missions and values in the case that GSA does not increase their funding for the center and they will have to reallocate their existing funds. Robinson added that the current policy regarding the six-year maximum a graduate student can be a teaching assistant no longer includes any time a graduate student has spent being a graduate student researcher.
Special Presentations
- UCLA Transportation representatives presented to the council on current goals the department has, such as focusing on active transportation. The representatives also discussed upcoming increases in parking fees because of increasing costs and other steps the department is taking to reduce its expenses.
Compiled by Stephen Stewart, Bruin senior staff.