The shortest A.S. Council meeting of the year, clocking in at just 22 minutes, consisted mainly of two announcements. The first, and arguably most anticipated, was Associate Vice President of Programming Di Lam’s announcement of the Sun God lineup – something she had been tight-lipped about for weeks.
Lam announced the headliners – rockers Third Eye Blind and hip-hopper T.I. - to an eager council. The announcement brought excitement and anticipation of all sorts for the May 18 concert.
“”I don’t know who T.I. is, but I’m happy to see Third Eye Blind,”” President Harry Khanna joked, referring to his specific music taste.
Eleanor Roosevelt College Senior Senator Erik Rodriguez-Palacios also showed support for the classic ’90s rock group, saying, “”Third Eye Blind is really big for Sun God.””
Other performers include Ozomatli, Ben Kweller, Fifty of Their Heels and High Tide, the winner of UCSD’s 10th annual Battle of the Bands. During the afternoon of the concert, Busdriver, Self Against City and Meho Plaza will also be playing.
On a different note, the council discussed a resolution that would grant councilmembers more influence over A.S. staff appointments than ever befwore.
Making amendments to the council’s standing rules was one of the last projects left for the current administration. The proposal took the entire year to push through, and was widely regarded within council as a good move.
Currently, the council has no say in any staff appointments, despite funding most of them.
The amendment would require all new appointments to be approved by a committee with a student majority, and gives the president the final say.
The positions specifically stated in the resolution include director of A.S. administration, staff funded by the Associated Students and various student positions, all of which would require student input. A pleased Khanna described the undertaking as a step toward full student control of A.S. staff.
However, in an interview on April 30, Khanna said he expected an opposite response from Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Joseph W. Watson regarding the issue.
According to Rodriguez-Palacios, Watson’s hesitation might be traced to his view that students are unable to make tough decisions.
Rodriguez-Palacios said that he believed staff appointments do not fall into the category of “”tough decisions,”” and that students should definitely make decisions that are “”exclusively funded by A.S.””
The task force, of which Rodriguez-Palacios is a part, has pushed for this amendment all year.
He also added that the move might be seen as bit drastic, since the council would go from having no control over staff appointments to having the final say.
In a letter to Director of A.S. Administration Lauren Weiner and Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Life Gary R. Ratcliff, Khanna said Watson would not contest the new rules as long as they were consistent with Personnel Policies for Staff Members and UCSD Implementing Procedures, and that the task force, which was responsible for drafting the amendment, would make sure it would fall within those guidelines.
