Undergrad government hears ASUCLA report on loss

Undergrad government hears ASUCLA report on loss

Council optimistic about solutions to budget crisis

Rashmi Nijagal

Daily Bruin Staff

This week the undergraduate student council reacted with
optimism to the efforts of resolving current financial difficulties
within the Associated Students UCLA.

On Tuesday, association board member, Elaine Chu, spoke to the
council about the student association’s current financial
difficulties and discussed the board’s undertakings in solving
these financial woes.

Currently there are several actions that the board has enacted
to ease their financial burdens. Although students can expect an
increase in food prices, a hiring freeze and a stoppage on salary
increases, the association has decided not to lay off students.

"The association is not looking to students to solve our
problems," Chu told council members. "These are only some of the
many actions we are taking to solve our problems."

Two areas of loss were noted by the report in the association
run Academic Publishing Services and travel agency.

In the past, the association’s publishing services have always
held a monopoly over the printing and distribution of the readers.
However as professors found local printers in Westwood to be more
convenient, the association wound up losing a large portion of
their revenue from the readers.

In addition, the student association travel agency took a hard
blow several years ago when the university chose to sign a contract
withan outside travel agency which diminished the association’s
travel revenue.

Lastly, the association noted the underestimated impact of
construction which has caused the confusion and discouragement of
people going into Ackerman.

"I think that the construction in general is discouraging to
people," said Michelle Bonner, general representative in the
undergraduate student council. "It is making them go into to
Westwood more."

Though the undergraduate student council acknowledges the
difficulty of the situation, council members are hopeful that the
board can resolve the crisis in a timely and efficient manner.

During the quarterly report presentation, undergraduate council
members were also asked to consider changing the council’s by-laws
in order to appoint board members for two-year terms sothat
continuity is established within the associated students’
board.

"Drastic times call for drastic measures," said Todd Sargent,
financial supports commissioner.

"Though I do not understand how the board could have put up such
an optimistic budget this year, they have been making some
aggressive changes and I am encouraged about the steps that they
are taking."

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