This week at the A.S. Council meeting, I was very excited to see all the new faces!

Former A.S. Council President Andy Buselt, along with former VP Student Life Linda Le, presented their new “R.A.P.” video which spoke about drinking safely on campus and what procedures to take if a friend has alcohol poisoning: Call 911 and tell your RA! A representative from the Panhellenic Council, Carolyne Chen, came in to discuss how Greek Life collaborated with Council for the video.

Outgoing AVP Concerts and Events Sarah Harley explained how A.S. Safe Rides will be in operation the day of Sun God Festival 2014 and that UCSD students should sign up early because they will not be able to sign up on the day of.

“Shuttles will be running at least an hour longer than usual, and this year we have a partnership with Uber…to go wherever you want to go off-campus,” Harley said. “Tell [your friends] that they are stupid for thinking about drinking and driving — there’s always other options.”

Outgoing AVP College Affairs Meena Kaushik stressed the need for collaboration and positive relationships with other student governments on campus.

“We need to respect each other to have a unified voice, which is definitely what we need on this campus,” Kaushik said. “You can start this year differently and amend these bridges for us to move forward.”

University Centers Advisory Board Chair Sammy Chang hosted spoke on the 2014–15 campus budget and finances, along with planned construction at UCSD.

The Che Cafe Cooperation, which hosts many concerts and events on campus, is not updated on all the necessary renovations such as ramps for the handicapped, additional exit doors and fire safety systems like sprinkler alarms and a fire alarm system. Due to the lack of funding for those renovations, the fire marshal is threatening to shut it down completely if UCSD does not comply with the fixes. Therefore, the Che Cooperative will be moving to the Student Services Center and scheduled Che Cafe concerts will be held at Porter’s Pub until the building has been renovated. 

A new program called UEO3 is also a high priority for the Student Fee Advisory Committee due to the fact that UCSD has the same binge drinking rate as San Diego State University. Sadly, I’m assuming we only establish that rate every year during the Sun God Festival. Consistency, people!  

Chang explained how all parking permit money will be funneled into new parking areas and structures. He also introduced new renovations for Sixth College.

“Capital planning wanted to convert Pepper Canyon Hall into an auditorium so they would call it ‘Pepperbowl,’ like the Hollywood bowl,” Chang said. “The Capital Planning also wanted to remake Sixth College and renovate Camp Snoopy and the apartment area, but I’m not sure how much of it will happen.”

Each of the colleges have their individual master plans on the UCSD website.

I welcome all the new Council members and look forward to a productive year in A.S.!