The Associated Students UCLA Board of Directors reviewed the progress of the Bruin Esports & Gaming Lounge and introduced a new board member at its third meeting of the 2025-2026 academic year Sept. 26.

The board, composed of a student majority, has financial oversight over ASUCLA entities, including the Undergraduate Students Association Council, the Graduate Students Association and the ASUCLA Communications Board – which oversees UCLA Student Media. ASUCLA also has responsibility for the UCLA Store, on-campus restaurants and some UCLA trademarks. Board meetings are open to the public and normally held in Kerckhoff Hall.

Public comment:

• Samita Parija, vice chair of the UCLA chapter of the California Public Interest Research Group, which advocates for environmental protection initiatives, urged the board to renew the club’s meeting and office space. Parija added that UCLA is considered a flagship chapter of CALPIRG.

Executive director/CEO remarks:

• ASUCLA Executive Director and CEO Pouria Abbassi introduced new board member Beau Jimmerson. Jimmerson, an administrative representative for ASUCLA, said his professional background includes nine years of experience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as chief procurement officer and executive director for procurement and strategic operations. Prior to his time at UNC, he worked as a consultant for eight years, he added. Jimmerson joined the board fewer than 90 days ago, he said.
• Abbassi also introduced Elyse Morneau, the student social media supervisor. Morneau said her responsibilities include running the ASUCLA and UCLA Store social media pages, as well as overseeing her current team of three content creators, which increased to four Sept. 29.

BOD alumnus remarks:

• C.J. Gabbe, who served as a graduate representative on the board from 2014 to 2016, said his time on the board prepared him well for his career as an associate professor at Santa Clara University. He added that his responsibilities in the role, which included the modernization of Ackerman Union and Kerckhoff Hall, are mirrored in the board’s current workload.

Committee reports:

• Merhawi Tesfai, a graduate representative, said the executive committee discussed how to balance using AI note-taking tools and maintaining meeting confidentiality. Tesfai added that the committee considered UCLA’s consolidation and centralization initiative and its potential impacts on the board.

[Related: UCLA plans to consolidate some campus services to cut costs, increase ‘efficiency’]

• George Garzouzi, an undergraduate representative, said the finance committee discussed the impact of third-party food vendors no longer accepting meal swipes – a decision announced by UCLA Housing in July. Garzouzi added that the committee discussed how low attendance at recent UCLA football games could create financial strains.

[Related: Non-ASUCLA restaurants to stop accepting meal swipes starting fall 2025]

• Daniela Cortez Bravo, a graduate representative, said the services committee also discussed the Bruin Esports & Gaming Lounge, which had its grand opening Tuesday. She added that the committee reviewed student meal plans and dining options – including digitizing the ASUCLA restaurants and increasing the value of student meal swipes to $10.

• Graduate Representative David Martinez said the ad-hoc committee is currently focusing on engaging undergraduate and graduate students in tabling and digital campaigns. Martinez also discussed a potential increase in student fees and said he aims to release a feedback survey by mid-October.

Executive director’s report:

• Abbassi noted ASUCLA’s social media growth and said he was proud of the social media team’s work. He added that the Instagram page has grown from around 1,000 to 2,000 followers to more than 37,000 followers.

Action/discussion items:

• Director of Facilities Leilani Donato presented on the purpose and progress of the Bruin Esports & Gaming Lounge. Donato said the gaming lounge – a collaborative project between UCLA Design & Project Management, UCLA Recreation and gaming hardware company Alienware – will provide state-of-the-art equipment for both social and competitive gaming and promote community. She added that design for the project started in October 2023, and construction commenced in April 2025.