USAC Recap ““ Oct. 9

Special Presentations

• Linda Sarna, UCLA Academic Senate chair, introduced the Senate to council. Sarna said a climate survey will be sent out in January asking students about their experiences at UCLA. Sarna also said UCLA’s tobacco-free initiative will go into effect on Earth Day, Apr. 22.
• Michelle Brien, a representative from the Special Olympics, and Marco Martinez, an athlete, presented to council about the Special Olympics World Games, which will be held in Los Angeles in 2015. Brien said UCLA will host three sports as well as house the Olympic village.

Appointments

• Danielle Griffin, a third-year global studies and geography student, was appointed to the Campus Sustainability Committee by a vote of 7-3-2. Lana Habib El-Farra, external vice president, Anees Hasnain, community service commissioner, and Taylor Mason, cultural affairs commissioner, voted against Griffin’s appointment. Kim Davis, academic affairs commissioner, and Jan Tancinco, campus events commissioner, abstained.

Agenda

• Third-year international development studies student Brian Khorshad was unanimously approved as vice budget review director.
• Cindy Wang, a second-year business economics student, was approved as a member of the Finance Committee.
• Student Organizations Operational Fund allocations were approved.
• This year’s funding study group was approved.
• Councilmembers voted 11-0-1 to use $400 from the USAC Discretionary Fund for a full page Daily Bruin advertisement encouraging students to register to vote.
• Council unanimously approved a resolution endorsing Proposition 30, citing UCLA’s projected 20 percent tuition hikes if the measure fails to pass. Proposition 30 is a ballot measure that would raise the sales tax and increase income taxes for upper-income households.

Officer reports

• President David Bocarsly said about half of all USAC appointments have been approved and asked council to help him recruit more candidates to fill the remaining positions. Bocarsly also said he met with last year’s Election Board Chair Eena Singh and Kris Kaupalolo, Center for Student Programming adviser, about reforming the election endorsement process.
• Andrea “Andi” Hester, internal vice president, said her office is currently working with the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Campus Resource Center to plan Ally Week, which will be in April. Her office will put on a student leader networking night on Oct. 19.* Lana Habib El-Farra, external vice president, said her office plans to take 100 UCLA students to the University of California Student Association’s Student of Color Conference on Nov. 9 – 11. El-Farra said her office has registered about 1,500 student voters and her goal is 5,000. El-Farra also said her office will put on a week of action during the week of Oct. 22 to educate students about the propositions on this year’s ballot.
• Kim Davis, academic affairs commissioner, asked the council to look for student leaders to promote Undergraduate Student Initiated Education, a program where students teach courses of their choosing to their peers.