USAC recap – Nov. 22

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 livestream of the meeting on the USAC Live! YouTube channel.

Agenda

• The council approved the Office Space Allocation Committee applications, contracts, and guidelines. This quarter, OSAC updated documents and created social media accounts, and plans to audit quarterly provisions to ensure office spaces on campus are used for office purposes.
• USAC President Danny Siegel spoke about the Westwood Neighborhood Council changing its term length from two years to four years in order to cut election costs. Siegel said he thinks this change will decrease student representation. Some administrative representatives suggested that the council write letters to to Los Angeles council members to protest and bring attention to the issue.
• The council approved an allocation of $270 to the Transfer Student Representative’s office.
• The council approved a total of $90,010.20 to different student groups under the Winter 2017 USA/ASUCLA Board of Directors Programming Fund.
• The council tabled the USAC discretionary funding allocation for next week’s meeting.

Officer reports

• Siegel said he attended a meeting with Chancellor Gene Block and Graduate Students Association President Michael Skiles on Friday. He said they discussed issues like student parking, housing insecurity, the presidential election and tuition hikes. Siegel said some students have expressed concern that the chancellor’s quarterly office hours are not sufficient.
• External Vice President Rafi Sands attended and thanked the organizers of the UC Student Association’s Students of Color Conference, which took place from Nov. 19-20 at UC Irvine. Sands also talked about the proposed UC tuition hike, which would increase tuition by $280 per year for 10 years. He said there is nothing students can do to stop the tuition hike, but proposed that students focus on the 2018 gubernatorial election.
• Academic Affairs commissioner Ashly Mohankumar said her office held a town hall for academic appointments Wednesday and discussed issues such as TAships, the current student climate and technology use in classrooms. Mohankumar added a finals study hall will be held in week 10.
• Student Wellness commissioner Christina Lee announced the launch of the SWC Total Wellness Magazine’s newest issue, which is available for students at Powell Library, the Wooden Center, and on the Hill. She said she talked with Dr. Nicole Presley Green about the 30 percent increase in CAPS visits. Lee added CAPS hired student interns using #UCLAWellness referendum funds.
• Lee also said the Bruin Health Pharmacy will open in Ackerman Union on Jan. 9. She also said her commission and the Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center are providing free pads and tampons for students as of Tuesday.
• Facilities commissioner Sandra Rhee discussed her office’s transparency report, published Nov. 14. Rhee added her office is working on collecting student testimonies about basic needs for a report.
• Campus Events commissioner Jordan Vincent Dang announced he is working on having more speaker events winter quarter.
• The proxy for general representative Zoe Borden said her office has been working on finding out how to better match students to scholarships.
• The proxy for General Representative Ruchit Majmudar talked about communicating with UCLA Residential Life and Greek life about holiday donations.
• The proxy for Transfer Student Representative Divya Sharma said the Transfer Wellness Committee will hold a meditation space during week 10. They also said Sharma spoke with Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Monroe Gorden about obtaining more housing investments for nontraditional students.