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USAC Recap – Jan. 10

By Isabella Welch

Jan. 11, 2017 6:07 a.m.

The Undergraduate Students Association Council is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Council meetings usually 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.

Special presentations

  • Office of the President appointment directors Brian Kohaya, Caitlin Corker and Raj Randhawa spoke about their office’s transparency report released last quarter. The directors spoke about their appointment selection process and how some committees have not met yet this year.

Agenda

  • The council discussed whether or not to appoint Amanda Do, a fourth-year communication studies student, to the Finance Committee, since the action item was not on the original agenda, which would constitute a violation of the bylaws. The council voted 7-3-0 to appoint Do.

  • The council made its appointments for this year’s Election Board committee. The council appointed Melanie Ghareptian, a second-year communication studies student, as vice chair and Grant Tobenkin, a third-year political science and sociology student, as investigations director. The council also appointed Suman Padhi, a third-year business economics and statistics student, as finance director and Sam Ryklansky, a second-year computer science and engineering student, as external relations director. Finally, the council appointed Lauren Kim, a second-year undeclared student, as media director, and Dickson Chen, a second-year psychobiology student, as endorsements chair.

Officer reports

  • Internal Vice President Sabrina Zeigler said her office will hold an off-campus housing fair, on Feb 1. from 11-3 p.m., for students to find off-campus housing opportunities.

  • External Vice President Rafi Sands said his office’s “2017 Millennials Take Charge” campaign, which aims to help students find more tangible ways to connect with government, will hold its first kick-off event Jan. 19. Sands added his office is spearheading the Fund the UC Campaign, which focuses on long-term structural change in regards to UC funding.

  • Academic Affairs Commissioner Ashly Mohankumar said her office is looking into bussing students to the Women’s March in downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 21. She added the first Stress-Free Day of winter quarter will be held Feb. 7 from 11-2 p.m. in Bruin Plaza.

  • Student Wellness Commissioner Christina Lee said her office is planning the “I Love My Body Week” for week 6 and Bruin Consent Coalition is holding Consent Week next week. Registration for this year’s Bruin Run/Walk will be opening this month, she added.

  • Facilities Commissioner Sandra Rhee said she and USAC President Danny Siegel and Graduate Students Association President Michael Skiles will meet again with UCLA Transportation about securing funding for a mobile app that would provide safe transportation.

  • General Representative 1 Zoe Borden said her office is working with sports teams to increase student engagement at sporting events.

  • General Representative 2 Ruchit Majmudar said his office is establishing entrepreneurial workshops this quarter. He added Friday will be the first time USAC is invited to a meeting for the Entrepreneurship Council of UCLA.

  • Transfer Student Representative Divya Sharma said his office is finalizing an alumni board to judge the new scholarship for transfer students. Sharma added his office is working on advocating for nontraditional housing and lactation rooms on campus.

  • Sharma added the Transfer Wellness Committee recently met with a Counseling and Psychological Services counselor about mental health advocacy. He also said his office has introduced a new director of diversity and intersectionality, and the Business Transfer Network is holding transfer student resume workshops in week three.

Fund allocations

  • The council approved a funding allocation for the Contingency Programming Fund.

  • The council approved by consent funding allocations for the EVP Bruin Defenders, the Academic Success Referendum Fund and the Student Wellness Programming Fund.

Announcements

  • Sharma recommended Community Service Commissioner Zack Dameron, Lee, Zeigler, Mohankumar and himself to serve on the ad hoc committee for USAC reform. His recommendations were adopted by the council unanimously.

  • General Representative 3 Inan Chowdhury said an interactive art exhibit on the intersection between art and mental health will be held in Kerckhoff Hall this weekend.

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Isabella Welch
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