GSA recap – Nov. 29

The Graduate Student Association is the voice of graduate students on campus. The association meets for forum every three weeks and takes positions on current issues affecting graduate students. Forum meetings are at 5:30 p.m. in the Global Viewpoint Lounge in Ackerman Union.

Agenda:

• Justin Gelzhiser, commissioner of elections, said the first Elections Commission Board meeting this year will be taking place Dec. 6 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the GSA office room. He added they will discuss ways to increase voter turnout in the next graduate student election, including by extending the election schedule.
• The association approved a revised program list, which lists departments under each academic council, to ensure academic councils are allocated the correct number of funds during the next academic year. The association moved Islamic studies funding to the Humanities Council, and molecular toxicology funding to the Public Health Council.
• The association unanimously passed a resolution calling on the administration and the University of California to stop sending emails to graduate students that imply United Auto Workers 2865, the graduate student union, is being deceitful in conducting its petition to unionize graduate student researchers. The resolution states UAW 2865 is being transparent in conducting their campaign for unionization.
• Parshan Khosravi, vice president of external affairs, said GSA will continue to be a member of the UC Student Association, and will not join the UC Graduate and Professional Coalition. He added he thinks USCA has more resources and funding to achieve advocacy efforts.
• The association passed a resolution to support Westwood Forward, a coalition of business owners, student leaders, homeowners, renters, and UCLA staff and faculty, to create a new neighborhood council for Westwood. GSA President Michael Skiles said he thinks the current council has suppressed students from voicing their opinions at their meetings and through city voting procedures.

Officer Reports:

• Skiles said free printing in the Biomedical Library has been successfully implemented by his office. He added every graduate student is eligible to print 250 free sheets each quarter.
• Skiles also said many students feel unsafe because of increasing reports of theft and damage to cars within parking structures. He added GSA has created a task force to work with Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael Beck to install security cameras in parking garages.
• Alexander Fung, vice president of internal affairs, said his office organized a Grad Cafe Initiative to give free sushi burritos to graduate students Monday of week 10 in the Luskin School of Public Affairs.
• Fung also said his office is planning an International Graduate Student Career fair and an online platform for graduate students to find off-campus roommates.
• Khosravi said his office has been collaborating with other organizations, like UCSA and UAW 2865, to voice graduate student concerns over the Republican tax plan. Khosravi said he thinks the UC only recognized the issue after students protested Wednesday.
• Khosravi added his office hopes to send more graduate students to the annual Students of Color Conference in UC Riverside, taking place Jan. 27 and 28. Individuals attending the conference talk about issues affecting underrepresented communities. He said the office only sent 10 graduate students to the conference in 2017.
• Rebecca Katz, vice president of academic affairs, said her office is looking to improve TA Marketplace, a website for professors to post job opportunities for teaching assistants. She added they plan to improve the website’s user experience and have more professors use this tool.
• Katz added her office will be obtaining reports from the graduate student representatives in the Academic Senate about what academic councils have implemented this quarter .