A.S. Meeting #9 – Oct. 19

Public Input

Revelle College Senior Senator Rachel Corell told the council about the successful online chat held with Chancellor Marye Anne Fox, and said that she is planning to discuss the possibility of making it a monthly event. She asked for the council’s support in the endeavor as well as its help in publicizing the event.

Special Presentations

Julia Adame, associate director of UCSD’s Leadership, Engagement, Activism and Development program, announced an upcoming “Leadership for Social Action” conference on Oct. 29 in Price Center. Adame thanked A.S. councilmembers for their support of L.E.A.D. and described several leadership programs planned for the year ahead.

Items of Immediate Consideration

Item A

The council approved an allocation of $500 from General Unallocated to sponsor L.E.A.D.’s Oct. 29 conference by a 12-5-3 vote. Several senators expressed reservations about funding the conference, due to the fact that L.E.A.D. is a branch of the student affairs office and receives its own funding. The council also debated whether or not the conference in question was truly planned by students, or if it was a primarily administrative effort. Ultimately, some councilmembers cited the philanthropic nature of the conference as justification for the funding.

Reports

President Christopher Sweeten

Sweeten announced that Congress is considering cuts to financial aid to students by $14.5 billion, and that he is in the process of trying to organize a press conference for students to band together against the potential cuts.

Old Business

Item E

Revelle College senior Anna Ahlin was appointed as the new A.S. commissioner of athletics for the 2005-06 school year. Ahlin’s approval was deferred from last week’s meeting because certain senators objected that they had not been given a chance to interview Ahlin after her nomination. For the full story, see page one.

Items F, G and H

After being deferred from the last meeting, the council passed agenda items “F,” “G” and “H,” which provide formal A.S. resolutions in opposition to state Propositions 74, 75 and 76, respectively. The council accepted an internal committee’s recommendation to approve all three items, although Item H only passed in a 1-0-11 vote, with all but Thurgood Marshall Senior Senator Kate Pillon abstaining. All three items were met with motions asking for the full council to reconsider them, but were subsequently voted down 3-12-1, allowing the committee recommendations to stand.