USAC to vote on resolution calling for transfer resource center
Negeen Sadeghi-Movahed, undergraduate student government transfer student representative, has pushed for the creation of a transfer resource center on campus. (Daily Bruin file photo)
By Mila Abushmaies
April 14, 2015 1:34 a.m.
The undergraduate student government will vote Tuesday on a resolution that calls for the creation of a UCLA transfer resource center to provide more resources for transfer students and offer a space for them to connect.
The idea of a center with transfer student-specific resources has been in the works at UCLA for several years, but securing funding and space has been a consistent obstacle to its establishment, said Negeen Sadeghi-Movahed, transfer student representative of the Undergraduate Students Association Council.
Sadeghi-Movahed, who proposed the resolution and is the first-ever transfer student representative, ran on the platform that she would advocate for the center’s creation.
UCLA administrators have said that for now, mandatory student fees would have to increase significantly for a center to exist. These additional fees, which Sadeghi-Movahed said could be up to $100 per student each year, would pay for counselors and the facility, among other costs.
Sadeghi-Movahed said she thinks a new transfer center is important because some students find the current Bruin Resource Center insufficient to serve transfer students at UCLA.
The Bruin Resource Center provides resources for many demographics of students on campus.
“The Bruin Resource Center is a great resource for many different students, but it does not focus specifically on the concerns of transfer students,” Sadeghi-Movahed said. “We have realized there is a need for a cohesive agenda about what transfer students actually want and what would be most beneficial for them.”
Transfer students make up about a third of UCLA’s undergraduate students. Some transfers said they support the creation of a center.
“I personally felt great about coming in as a transfer student because I did the transfer summer program and was able to make a lot of friends in the transfer community before starting actual classes,” said Lashon Halley, a third-year art history student who transferred from Santa Barbara City College. “But for others who don’t get that opportunity, any type of place to make more connections would be helpful to have.”
Angie Cordova, a second-year nursing student who transferred from East Los Angeles College, said she thinks some transfer students do not have a strong support system coming into a four-year institution.
“I transferred with a cohort of other nursing students and we were able to get support from each other, but I think students who do not have that experience would really appreciate the extra support,” Cordova said.
If the resolution is successful, Sadeghi-Movahed said the next steps would be to determine possible funding sources.
She said she does not think more student fees are necessary to create a center. Instead, she thinks UCLA should reprioritize its spending.
“I think it is important to organize spending for the center so that it does not hurt students financially,” Sadeghi-Movahed said. “Other ways of soliciting funds could be donations from alumni and other supporters.”
The USAC meeting will take place in Kerckhoff 417 at 7 p.m.
