This year’s mellow inaugural A.S. Council meeting began with public input as usual, during which the treasurer of the UCSD Student Foundation, James Iwaz, challenged the council in the upcoming Chancellor’s 5K run. Iwaz proposed that the losing team bake cupcakes for the winning team, but his challenge wasn’t acknowledged until the meeting’s end.

During members’ reports, Associate Vice President of Local Affairs Aida Kuzucan revealed a plan to acquire a $5,000 lifetime membership in the La Jolla City Council, which would allow the council more influence in local town decisions.

Associate Vice President of Enterprise Operations Chelsea Maxwell gave an update on the Grove Caffe, which has yet to open this year after racking up more than $17,000 in debt. The Grove now has a new manager in Cleveland Thomas, who formerly managed the RIMAC coffee cart. Thomas has experience working with students, said Maxwell. The cafe will open in a couple of weeks.

A.S. President Marco Murillo said the expected carryover from last year’s A.S. budget had unexpectedly increased to over $264,000. In the past few years, not all money allocated to administrative salaries had been spent, with the unused funds “rolling over and over and over,” Murillo said. He speculated that these now-freed funds might be spent on a new event coordinator position to help convert programming ideas into realities. However, he stressed that the windfall was a “one time thing,” and creating a permanent position with the excess funds would have long-term budget effects that the council must consider.

In special presentations, Triton Tide President and Muir College Council Chair Dave Payne reported on the group’s activities since the A.S. Council cut its funding in last year’s epic budget meeting. Triton Tide now has a budget of $17,500, and Payne expressed his usual gusto regarding UCSD’s “elite spirit crew.”

“We’ve done more so far than all of Fall Quarter last year,” he said, referring to the chalked fields exhibiting slogans and doubled attendance at games.

Triton Tide managed to bring up to 772 supporters for a women’s volleyball game this year, doubling the attendance of last year’s matches.

Payne also unveiled a new proposal, which will include a billboard on I-5 that advertises UCSD sporting events and stretches the budget with giveaways that are more economical and numerous, like key chains and paint.

During question time, Earl Warren College Senator Peter Benesch told the council he discovered that A.S. Safe Ride is not yet operating because of an “unfortunate circumstance.” Apologizing, Vice President of Finance and Resources Sarah Chang clarified that Safe Rides would not be dispatched until Oct. 11 — as noted in the user agreement.

Iwaz’s challenge was finally accepted during open forum by Sixth College Senator John Cressey, who encouraged council members to participate competitively.

“Otherwise,” he warned, “someone’s going to have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.”