The Transportation Policy Committee Undergraduate Student Representative Adam Powers approached the council. Powers understands the frustrations cyclists face here at UCSD.
“We don’t really have much infrastructure for bicycling on campus,” he said. “We will hopefully see something in the way of bike lanes instead of the random dismount zones they have right now.”
However, UCSD Transportation Services is still operating in a deficit in the millions of dollars.
“Funding comes from parking permits and parking citations, which I’m sure many of you are familiar with,” he said. He knows us all so well.
There are two potential options outlined for Transportation Services right now. One is to have a blanket increase in student fees to pay for the shuttles and buses we all know, love and use on a daily basis.
The other is to eliminate free MTS bus use for students.
“A referendum would cause a steady, solid income, while I can foresee less dependability on the user fee,” Powers said, leaving an ominous air in the Price Center Forum. “Is transportation the kind of thing we put on the same level as, let’s say, health care on the national level? Is it a natural right?”
Then, we finally started the fun stuff.
Vice President of External Affairs Samer Naji was overly excited about receiving a shipment of postcards. These are to be signed and sent to Sacramento in protest of our increase in tuition and student fees. In fact, Naji was so excited he forgot to give the rest of his report.
Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs Mac Zilber announced plans for the upcoming CLICS Lecture Hall to include standing classroom workspaces.
“The amount of time we spend sitting is increasing our mortality rate,” he said. Maybe he should initiate standing A.S. council meetings: This would ensure that our leaders remain healthy and strong for the students they represent.
A.S. President Alyssa Wing was happy to announce what a success the A.S. Council retreat was last weekend. Vice President of Student Life Meredith Madnick got snaps and applause from all of council. I’m sure she felt honored, but she had no idea what was to come.
After she announced this week’s glittery sash winner Social Sciences Senator Alex Choi, a well-deserved award for the guy who “puts the ‘social’ in ‘social sciences,’” Vice President of Finance and Resources Kevin Hoang announced that Madnick was also this week’s Council Member of the Week. Instead of a blue sash, she got a sparkly foam crown with her name on it.
“In her spare time, she enjoys advocating student life on campus,” Hoang announced.
Both of the honored Council Members of the Week had to strut their stuff to Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger.”
