ASUCLA continued a yearlong trend in February and March of underperforming financially, its leader said at an April 24 Board of Directors meeting.

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:

• There was no public comment at the meeting.

Executive director/CEO remarks:

• Pouria Abbassi, ASUCLA’s chief executive officer and executive director, said Bruin Day, which the association helps with, was successful. ASUCLA is currently preparing to participate in Bruin Transfer Day on May 16, he added.

• ASUCLA is gearing up for the Undergraduate Students Association Council elections, which will take place May 8 through May 15, respectively, Abbassi said. He added that he encourages students to vote in support of ASUCLA’s referendums in the elections.

• Pamela Lewis, the director of student union services, introduced Annabelle Yeh, a third-year labor studies student and the ASUCLA outreach and student engagement coordinator. Yeh said she is committed to expanding ASUCLA’s outreach among students to showcase the different employment and student government opportunities the association offers. Yeh said she is also working to strengthen relationships between ASUCLA, academic departments and residential life to increase student engagement.

BOD Alumni Remarks:

• Merhawi Tesfai, a graduate representative, introduced Jared Fox – who served as the GSA president from 2004-2006 and in leadership roles on the ASUCLA BOD from 2006-2009. Fox said during his time as a leader at UCLA, he increased the board’s sustainability efforts, helped lower textbook costs and contributed to bringing healthier food options to campus, including launching Greenhouse in Ackerman Union in 2007. Fox said he was grateful for his experience on the board, adding that he valued the chance to give back to the community through his leadership.

Committee reports:

• Ayesha Mirza, a fourth-year computational and systems biology student and chairperson of the board, said the executive committee discussed the BOD’s services committee, finance committee and incentive compensation policies in its last meeting.

• George Garzouzi, an undergraduate representative for the finance committee, did not attend the meeting. The finance committee did not meet because it could not meet the number of present members necessary to call for a vote.

• Daniela Cortez Bravo, a graduate representative, said the services committee helped create basketball merchandise and contributed to celebrations at Pauley Pavilion after the women’s basketball team’s NCAA national championship win against the University of South Carolina on April 5. Bravo added that the committee has been working to organize services for the GSA election, including advertising the elections at a graduate student lounge and creating networking opportunities at local bars. She also said ASUCLA is collaborating with the Disabled Student Union to create a dedicated cultural center for students with disabilities on campus.

• Graduate representative David Martinez said the ad hoc committee discussed Chancellor Julio Frenk’s approval of ASUCLA’s two proposed referendums for the GSA and USAC elections – the Graduate Opportunities and Leadership Development and the Bruin Life and Undergraduate Experience Fee Referendum, respectively. However, the committee did not have sufficient time to review the specific language in detail, Martinez added. The BLUE and GOLD referendums would fund an hourly raise to undergraduate and graduate student workers, respectively, at ASUCLA entities, as well as other programming. Martinez also said the ad hoc committee attended the GSA lounge opening and soiree. Martinez added that he wished GSA did a better job of promoting these events on social media to increase student attendance. Graduate board members have been working hard to encourage students to vote in the upcoming GSA elections, he said. He added that the board launched an initiative to reward the first 1,500 graduate students who show proof they voted in the GSA elections with $10 food vouchers for the UCLA Store.

[Related: How much will this year’s proposed student government referendums cost you?]

Executive director’s report:

• Abbassi said ASUCLA’s Instagram account reached 40,000 followers, which he attributed to the board’s social media engagement efforts. He added that the account will continue to share videos of ASUCLA student workers showing their day-to-day responsibilities online.

• Abbassi also said the UCLA Store has already started preparing for a fall merchandise catalog with photoshoots.

• He added that the board has been working to finalize the budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year ahead of its May 8 board meeting.

• Abbassi said Anderson Cafe’s newly implemented menu items – such as pork belly grilled cheese sandwiches and jerk chicken bowls – have received positive feedback from students. ASUCLA restaurants will continue to run their special $6 Friday deals, he said.

• Tom Beres, the director of ASUCLA food services, said under the leadership of a new executive chef, ASUCLA restaurants will continue to roll out special menu items. Greenhouse continues to be the most popular ASUCLA restaurant among students and generated more than $300,000 in sales in March, Abbassi said. He added that ASUCLA restaurants have also generated more than $20,000 in sales through catering.

• ASUCLA operated concessions at Pauley Pavilion generated close to $40,000 in sales during the first two rounds of the NCAA Women’s March Madness tournament, Abbassi said. He added that the board also expanded licensing tied to basketball to boost revenue, with the NBA 2K26 video games now featuring UCLA student athletes Donovan Dent and Lauren Betts.

• Abbassi said the UCLA Store has processed more than 220,000 CalFresh transactions since it began accepting the monthly food assistance benefits three years ago. He added that he expects transactions to reach about 260,000 by the end of the academic year. Abbassi added that 32,000 people are enrolled in the Bruin Rewards program – a savings program that provides customers with 5% cash back for every $1 spent at the UCLA Store.

• Abbassi said ASUCLA employees wrote about 500 cards to give to people in local hospitals and nursing homes as a part of ASUCLA’s Cards of Kindness initiative.

• He added that the ASUCLA’s American Disabilities Act compliance reached 92.3% – exceeding the 87% industry benchmark.

• Abbassi said other UC schools and organizations have tried to mimic UCLA’s reusable container pilot initiative to reduce single-use plastic waste at ASUCLA restaurants. Abbassi added that the board is trying to persuade organizers of the 2028 Summer Olympics to use the Ackerman Union kitchen, rather than building a new one, as a cost-saving measure.

• Abbassi said the board is anticipating higher costs for goods and resources due to rising oil prices brought by the ongoing war in Iran. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz – which about 20% of the world’s oil supply travels through – on April 19 in response to a United States naval blockade and coordinated U.S.-Israel military airstrikes, resulting in heightened oil prices.

Financial statements:

• Abbassi said ASUCLA’s gross income for February was $6.6 million, which was $750,000 below expected levels. The association’s gross income for March was $6.7 million, which was $1.25 million below expected levels, he added.

• Impacts of global and domestic markets, increased utility and maintenance costs, contractions in campus spending, fewer events and overall consumer and business uncertainty continue to burden revenue performance, Abbassi said.

• Abbassi said the elimination of meal swipes on-campus during certain hours and the temporary pause on CalFresh benefits during the fall federal government shutdown have also negatively impacted sales.

• Gross income was $51 million throughout the first eight months of the school year, which is $7.8 million below expected levels, Abbassi said. However, various mitigation measures implemented make the effects of this loss around around $850,000.

• Giang To, ASUCLA’s director of accounting, said the association’s cash assets were $13.8 million at the end of February.

• Mary Romo, the programming manager at ASUCLA, said the association has held cultural celebrations, wellness events and blood donation drives throughout the year.

Action/Discussion items:

• Mirza motioned the board to vote and approve proposed constitution, bylaw and conflict of interest policy amendments.