After nearly a month in office, the new A.S. Council is reaching its full form. Councilmembers conducted an extensive selection process last week that yielded eight of 10 appointments to the council’s associate vice president positions.
Responsible for overseeing many of the council’s most important operations ‘mdash; including the management of student enterprises and the organization of the annual Sun God Festival ‘mdash; the 10 AVP appointees are chosen by four selection committees, each headed by one of the council’s four executives and comprised of several campuswide senators and the outgoing AVPs.
According to Vice President of Student Life Ricsie Hernandez, the committees serve as advisory bodies that provide appointment recommendations to the president and three vice presidents. The executives submit their final decisions to the council for approval.
After a series of application interviews last week, Hernandez ‘mdash; along with VP of Finance and Resources Peter Benesch, VP of External Affairs Gracelynne West and President Utsav Gupta ‘mdash; confirmed six appointments at a May 20 meeting.
The tentative appointments of AVP of diversity affairs and AVP of concerts and events will be finalized at tomorrow’s council meeting.
Former Eleanor Revelle College Council Chair James Lintern was appointed AVP of college affairs, and former A.S. Speaker Jordan Taylor was appointed AVP of academic affairs.
‘Taylor was the most professional and well-versed in what academic affairs entails,’ Gupta said.
Former A.S. festivals coordinator Alex Bramwell was appointed AVP of concerts and events ‘mdash; the position responsible for organizing the annual Sun God Festival ‘mdash; pending council approval.
Bramwell co-planned this year’s festival alongside 2008-09 AVP of Concerts and Events Garrett Berg. This involved booking bands, performing logistical work and ensuring that staffing levels were adequate. Bramwell said he wants to improve the popular campuswide festival next year by booking a broader range of performers.
‘[At next year’s Sun God Festival], the goal is to have an even more diverse lineup that attracts diverse groups of people together on campus,’ he said.
Bramwell added that he intends to increase advertising for other events throughout the year, such as Bear Gardens and A.S. Nooners.
Jasmine Phillips was appointed AVP of diversity affairs pending coun
cil approval. She said prior experiences such as working with resource centers such as the LGBT Center, the Cross-Cultural Center and other organizations geared toward assisting underrepresented students have prepared her for her new responsibilities.
‘Having these interactions has allowed me to have ideas within me to try and make change and promote diversity on campus, and also increase the numbers and reaching out to underrepresented groups,’ Phillips said.
Phillips said she will attempt to encourage diversity by directing attention to cultural groups on campus and pushing for college-specific cultural events to go campuswide.
New AVP of Student Organizations Andrew Ang said he will pursue the similar goal of raising cultural awareness, assisting student groups in reserving spots for events in Mandeville Auditorium.
According to Ang, many cultural organizations are forced to perform their shows off campus due to difficulties securing the auditorium. Ang said allowing these organizations to utilize the space would save student organizations thousands of dollars in booking fees and transportation.
Benesch, whose office includes the AVP of enterprise operations and the AVP of student services, said the students appointed to these positions were selected partly based on their awareness of the offices’ responsibilities.
‘All had experience in the field that I had appointed them to,’ Benesch said. ‘They had detailed knowledge on what each position entailed, and formulated plans on what they planned to do.’
According to Benesch, AVP of Enterprise Operations Rishi Ghosh was appointed because he had experience running his own business and was prepared with a structured plan for his new office.
‘[Ghosh] has worked with administration, has the political background necessary to fulfill the job and has worked with activist movements such as the green movement,’ Benesch said.
Ghosh will oversee such A.S. enterprises as the Grove Caffe, A.S. Lecture Notes and Soft Reserves. He said he will attempt to micromanage the enterprises, including their staff and managers ‘mdash; transforming the position from a monitoring role to a hands-on one.
‘A short-term goal is to stabilize enterprises that haven’t been doing well, mainly the Grove,’ Ghosh said. ‘In the long term, [I want to] boost profitability without significantly raising prices for any of the services or enterprises.’
Student services operated by the council ‘mdash; including KSDT Radio, Safe Ride and the A.S. Graphic Studio ‘mdash; will be managed by new AVP of Student Services Meredith Madnick.
Aries Yumul was appointed as AVP of local affairs. According to West, Yumul was chosen based on involvement with American-Indian tribes in San Diego County and passionate, clear plans about what he wanted to do in the position.
‘He bridges the San Diego community with UCSD and acts as a liason,’ West said.
The AVP of athletic relations and AVP of student advocacy have yet to be appointed.
Readers can contact Nisha Kurani at [email protected].