GSA recap – March 7

The Graduate Students 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

• Lisa Koerbling, director of parking services for UCLA Transportation, said the office is working on a proposal to respond to campus needs for more parking and sustainable commute programs.
• Several GSA Student Interest Board members proposed a constitutional amendment to add a new position to the association called Vice President –Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement.
• Marilyn Gray, director of the Graduate Writing Center, presented several proposals to increase quarterly GSA membership fees. The association voted to put the proposal of increasing mandatory fees by $5.75 on the ballot, which will be voted on next quarter. The additional fee will be used to expand GWC locations by hiring an administrative analyst and more consultant student staff.
• Sherry Lin, GSA director of communications, said the association has added a Bruin Survival Guide on the GSA webpage for students to find answers to commonly asked questions, such as those about housing and transportation.
• Chinmayi Aryasomayajula, a member of the Medicine academic council, said the Annual Grad Games, a sporting event for graduate students, will be hosted April 20 from 4 to 10 p.m. and on April 21 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. She added registration for the games will open soon.
• The association ended the forum early to host a closed discussion on the disciplinary hearing of an executive. The outcome of the hearing is confidential.

Officer reports

• GSA President Michael Skiles said the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners will be holding a town hall hearing Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Weyburn Commons on the Westwood Forward’s proposal for a new neighborhood council, according to an email statement from Skiles.
• Skiles said his office also co-hosted the Grad Slam, a campuswide competition that showcases and awards the best three-minute research presentations by graduate students, from Feb. 20 to Wednesday.
• GSA Vice President of Academic Affairs Rebecca Katz said in an email statement she will release her written officer reports during the next forum meeting.
• Alexander Fung, vice president of internal affairs, and Parshan Khosravi, vice president of external affairs, could not immediately be reached for comment.