USAC recap – Nov. 2

Students expressed and responded to concerns over the Undergraduate Students Association Council office’s director stipend proposal for the year.

Public Comments:

• Arsh Gupta, chairman of the Associated Students UCLA Board of Directors, shared the Big Ideas Contest, which gives students the opportunity to win up to $20,000 for an idea that has a positive social impact. The competition is currently accepting applications.
• Mohammed Mortada – Office of the President chief of staff – and others responded to concerns about the size of the proposed budget for USAC office directors.

Allocations:

• The council allocated $250 to the Transfer Student Representative for the office’s Wix website.
• The council allocated $1289.69 to Chi Epsilon, a civil engineering honor society, for their Pacific District Conference.
• The council allocated $736.67 to exploretech.la for their 2021-2022 retreat, an annual event that aims to help underrepresented high school students explore computer science, engineering and technology.
• The council allocated $293.52 to the Pilipino Transfer Student Partnership, an organization that aims to ease the transition to UCLA for Pilipino transfer students, for their PTSP Fall Bonfire.
• The council allocated $750 to LA Hacks, an annual student-led hackathon, for their retreat.
• The council allocated $466.67 to Consult Your Community, a pro bono consulting group, for their mid-quarter social.
• The council allocated $1,277.83 to the Indian Student Union, an organization that aims to educate students about South Asian cultures, for their ISU Garba/Raas.
• The council allocated $2,152.57 to the Vietnamese Student Union for their high school conference.
• The council allocated $534 to Pilipinos for Community Health, an organization that works to improve the health of the UCLA community, for its fall health panel in the Los Angeles community.
• The council allocated $706.89 to Rocket Project, an organization on campus that teaches rocket engineering, for their Mojave Desert testing trip.
• The council allocated $42.47 to the Pre-Pharmacy Society for their fall 2021 week 8 general meeting and $7 to their Banh Mi fundraiser.
• The council allocated $916.29 to the Bruin Spacecraft Group, an organization that provides a place for students to explore space mission design and development, for their Forge Lab Management and Educational workshops.
• The council allocated $61.83 to Samahang Modern, a Pilipino dance group, for Maxt Out Competition travel.
• The council allocated $416.67 to the Undergraduate Communication Association, a student-run communication organization, for their Networking Night.
• The council allocated $197.33 to DataRes, an organization for future data scientists and analysts, for their board social and $180 for their midterms goodie bags.
• The council allocated $506.27 to Samahang Pilipino, an organization for Pilipino students to learn about their heritage, for their Samahang Pilipino Cultural Night Walk-Thru.
• The council allocated $500 to The Bruin Group, a consulting organization for startups, for their virtual retreat.
• The council allocated $1,035.33 to Icarus Contemporary Dance for their “We Are Icarus” event.
• The council allocated $100 to 3D4E, a 3D printing organization, for their painting social.
• The council allocated $500 to the Chinese Music Ensemble, an organization that seeks to promote Chinese culture through music, for their Music of China concert.
• The council allocated $900 to MakeLA, an organization that connects underserved students in the LAUSD with MakerSpace tools, for their MakerSpace project.
• The council allocated $285 to the Asian Pacific Coalition, an advocacy group for Asian and Pacific Islander students, for their game night.
• The council allocated $1,150 to the Pakistani Students Association for their fall banquet.
• The council allocated $256.67 to the Bruin Sports Business Association, an organization that prepares students to work in the sports industry, for their fall networking social.
• The council allocated $104 to Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, an organization that provides free tax assistance to the Los Angeles community, for their volunteer social.
• The council allocated $280 to the USAC Finance Committee for their new recruits dinner retreat.

Agenda:

• The council presented a proposition to give $5,000 of USAC surplus funds to the Financial Supports Commission to pay for lab coats for students. The vote will be held next week.
• The council presented a proposition to give $3,000 of USAC surplus funds to the Facilities Commission to pay for Metro cards for commuter students. The vote will be held next week.
• The council presented a proposition to give $20,000 of USAC surplus funds to the Office Space Allocation Committee and Finance Committee to pay for off-campus storage spaces for student organizations. The vote will be held next week.
• The council presented a proposition to use USAC surplus funds to provide directors in each office with a stipend for their work. The vote will be held next week.

Appointments:

• The council appointed Ida Tongkumvong, a first-year transfer communication major, to the ASUCLA Communications Board. She said she hopes to be a voice for transfer students on the board.
• The council appointed Ying Xuan Chua, a third-year economics and psychology student, to the Campus Sustainability Committee. She said she hopes to use her different backgrounds to represent students’ sustainability needs across campus.
• The council appointed Sofia Rizkkhalil, a fourth-year history and political science student, to the Judicial Board. She said she hopes to help students hold their government accountable when needed.
• The council appointed Susan Kadir, a third-year political science and psychology student, to the Judicial Board. She said she hopes to be a resource on the board for fellow students.

Reports:

• President Breeze Velazquez said her office met with the planning committee, which stated that the administration plans to focus more on retention programs. It also discussed the University of California requirement to limit non-resident students to 22% by next year.
• Internal Vice President Cassandra Gatica said her office helped to open the ASUCLA T-shirt contest. She added that her office had a de-stressing movie night last week. She also said that her office is planning a workshop to educate student organizations on USAC funding. She added that her office also completed the first week of their crowdfunding campaign for the Housing Relief Award initiative.
• External Vice President Sarah Wang said her office’s civic engagement will start a biweekly speaker series during winter quarter in order for students to hear from their representatives. She added that University Relations is working to enable CalFresh to be available in ASUCLA locations. She also said her office met with a UC Office of the President Housing director concerning funding to build micro-units in Gayley Towers to provide affordable housing to students. She added that her office is also partnering with ASUCLA to put on town halls for the upcoming mayoral and City District 5 elections.
• General Representative 1, Hailey Valles said in a written report that her office is continuing to work on a “Navigating MyUCLA” video series. She added that her office’s Foster Youth Advocacy committee has started a foster youth resource guide. She also said her office’s Seat in the Classroom committee is finalizing a major guide for students.
• General Representative 2, Passa Pungchai said in a written report that her office discovered the need for Braille signs on nine floors for the Boelter Hall Sign Project.
• General Representative 3, Carl King said in a written report that his office conducted a banking workshop as part of the financial literacy program.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Angelina Quint said her office is in the process of notifying Books for Bruins awardees. She also said her office is working with the Mother Organizations to learn how it can best support retention programs. She added that her office’s Access and Equity Committee is working with the University of Southern California on a mentorship program for Los Angeles Unified School District youth. She also said the Sanctuary Campus committee met with Queer Alliance to update them on the progress of the Anti-Queer Phobia Module. She also said that the Inside-Out Study Space Committee is working to increase the number of study spaces on campus. She added that almost all winter courses will be taught in person, which is especially concerning for those who are more at risk for COVID-19. She also said her office is working with the Center for Accessible Education to advocate for the university improving priority enrollment for students registered with the CAE.
• Campus Events Commissioner Maya Sanghavid said in a written report that her office will be hosting a “Nightmare Before Christmas” viewing with ASUCLA on Wescom Terrace.
• Facilities Commissioner Jane Ni said her office is working with the Disabled Student Union and Academic Affairs Commission office to draft letters responding to the majority of winter courses being held in-person without a virtual option. She added that her office is working to create an interactive map that showcases accessible entrances and bathrooms on campus.
• Transfer Representative Herman Luis Chavez said in a written report that his office met with UCLA Dining to discuss the understaffing in on-campus dining halls. He added that his office met with Transfer Experience representatives to discuss possible collaboration. He also said his office met with Anna Bulis, the transfer representative on the On-Campus Housing Council.