ASUCLA recap – Oct. 27

Associated Students UCLA is a multimillion-dollar organization that provides student services and activities that the university does not fund. It oversees the Undergraduate Students Association Council, Graduate Students Association, Communications Board campus services and enterprises. Board of Directors meetings are monthly and open to the public.

Public Comment

• Arielle Yael Mokhtarzadeh, undergraduate student government president, said some students are concerned the ground outside Wolfgang Puck Express is unstable and think it is a safety hazard. Mokhtarzadeh added some students are frustrated that ASUCLA staff sometimes do not open meeting rooms on time.

Executive Reports

• ASUCLA Executive Director Robert Williams said the association is currently working on transitioning its payroll system into the University of California Payroll Academic Personnel, Timekeeping and Human Resources project. UCPath is a uniform center for managing payroll across the UC’s campuses.
• Williams added the transition to UCPath is complicated for student employees because they have different pay schedules and because some receive stipends. He said many managers and staff need to be trained on how to use the new systems, and added ASUCLA will begin using UCPath to send out paychecks in January.
• ASUCLA will start providing some in-seat concession services in Pauley Pavilion during basketball games starting in November, Williams said.
• Williams added the association is considering hiring an outside agency to look into ASUCLA’s branding. He added they will make a final decision on whether to hire a branding agency based on how much it will cost.
• Williams said a new poke restaurant in North Campus is training staff and is expected to open in a few weeks. He added construction work for a Veggie Grill in Ackerman Union will occur over winter break and Blaze Pizza is expected to open in the Court of Sciences sometime during winter quarter.
• Undergraduate representative Navi Sidhu said the Communication Board’s finances have had a good start by exceeding the budget plan. He added the finance committee discussed an audit that recommended the association improve the documentation of its corporate cards and promptly remove former employees from its systems.
• Undergraduate representative Michaela Boster said the services committee discussed how to improve Wi-Fi in Ackerman Union. She added they also discussed ways to redesign coffee cup sleeves.

Financial Statements

• Williams said September was a strong month for the association, with the UCLA Store earning sales of $399,000 above plan. He added overall the association earned $128,000 above plan.
• He added the restaurants had mixed performances in sales last month. While sales were down for Wetzel’s Pretzels, Greenhouse performed well, Williams said.
• Williams said ASUCLA has been having some challenges with its international licensing for UCLA branded products, particularly in China. He added the association plans to take steps to get its utility costs down.
• The association’s October sales have not been strong in part due to a decrease in book sales and minimum wage increases, Williams said. He said several restaurants run by third-parties have been understaffed during peak hours and added the association is encouraging them to increase their staffing.

Action/Discussion Items

• Student Union Director Roy Champawat said the association has begun plans to remodel the Ackerman Union first floor dining room. He said the floor remodeling work will begin around the middle of November and will continue during winter break. Champawat added part of the construction will occur during nighttime and holidays to minimize disruption to services.
• Williams said because construction will be occurring over the next couple months, there will be signage on the floor to inform customers of any disruptions due to the construction work.