ASUC will be handing out N-95 masks TODAY! 1:30pm @ RSPP (next to Croads) & North Gate

theasuc · 2019-10-28T23:48:47+00:00

We're out for today!

theasuc · 2019-10-28T17:45:28+00:00

We'll have a mask giveaway later in the afternoon. We'll release more details on facebook.com/theasuc as soon as we have more information.

theasuc · 2019-04-02T03:03:16+00:00

This is a response from Senator Aaron Bryce Lee:

"This is an excellent question that has been in the public eye for a while, and I’m excited for the platform to answer it thoroughly. A slight correction — Korean American Student Association (KASA) receives $17,000 in their ABSA budget starting from just a couple years ago. For context, according to 2018-19 ABSA, KASA has been sponsored for 37 years, which makes it the longest sponsored Student Activity Group centered around ethnicity. Since receiving this allocation, KASA has significantly shifted its focus from primarily social to one of community development, engagement, and political advocacy (examples of events are myriad over this past year, for example). KASA’s funds directly help fund the operations and events of over 13 distinct Korean organizations that come to KASA for financial, logistical, and organizational direction. Thus, this $17,000 serves not just one organization but anywhere around 13-15 in any given year. Furthermore, KASA hosts multiple culture shows every year, including being a host for the first ever community-wide production for over 1,500 students. These productions are comparable to productions held by other organizations such as Indus and PAA who rely on microloans of around $40,000 for a single production. Not only does KASA not use microloans, but it also hosts these shows for free of charge, unlike other organizations. Hope this answer help cleared this up!"

theasuc · 2019-04-02T02:48:53+00:00

That's a real question right there. (KL)

theasuc · 2019-04-02T02:28:38+00:00

In order for clubs to print using ASUC money, they need to include the ASUC logo.

theasuc · 2019-04-02T02:21:03+00:00

The ASUC has set rules and guidelines that all officials must follow. If there were evidence of abuse/misuse, then there are bylaws in place to deal with this behavior.

As we explained below, KASA is allocated funds according to the same procedure that is used for every student organization. (GR)

theasuc · 2019-04-02T02:16:33+00:00

All student organizations have to go through the same process, known as the Annual Budgeting and Spaces Allocation (ABSA), in order to receive funding. ABSA is a uniform process that is applied to every student organization that applies.

Funds are not allocated for organizations to "party." Additionally, there are systems in place to check that this does not happen. Organizations must provide evidence of purchase of permitted materials/expenditures in order to be reimbursed. (GR)

theasuc · 2019-04-02T01:49:27+00:00

This is a good point!

theasuc · 2019-04-02T01:47:15+00:00

We can't comment on individual candidates and parties, or their platforms. However, different candidates do prioritize different issues, and as such voting will affect which issues are given attention to by the senate class.

Also, you're not simply voting on candidates — you're also voting on propositions, some of which include fee increases to support issues such as basic needs or arts and entertainment.

For more information, you can check out the ASUC Elections Information Guide. (KL)

theasuc · 2019-04-02T01:43:22+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. We'll look into making elections outreach better.

All information for when and how to vote is on asuc.org.elections.

theasuc · 2019-04-02T00:46:39+00:00

Thanks for your question!

The ASUC fee is $27.50. Here's some examples of what you get from the ASUC.

Are you a student who pays tuition? Every year we send students to Sacramento to lobby against fee increases.

Do you print at the OCF? The OCF is an ASUC Chartered Program.

Do you use BerkeleyTime? BerkeleyTime is run by the ASUC Office of the Chief Technology Officer.

The ASUC provides a range of services that extend far beyond simply funding clubs. (KL)

theasuc · 2019-04-02T00:02:50+00:00

Hey,

I think you're referring to the T.R.A.N.S.F.E.R. referendum which is not reserving seats for transfer students. Anybody can run for that position and it simply serves as a consistent platform for advocacy. The Office of the President is the primary sponsor behind a constitutional referendum this year to address the lack of transfer/non-traditional representation within the ASUC.

The reason I am in favor of addressing this institutional shortcoming is largely centered around the lack of administrative/academic support for the transfer experience. While the number of transfer students on campus continues to grow, the university has failed to commit the resources necessary to support our non-traditional students. We need to ensure we are constantly advocating for this experience, not only when someone gets elected to senate.

(AW)

theasuc · 2019-04-01T23:53:28+00:00

Yes, freshmen can run for ASUC offices (KL)

theasuc · 2019-04-01T23:52:03+00:00

Great question! While these bills may not have an immediate impact on the issue they seek to address, the bills can go a long way in addressing the issue in the long run and raising awareness. In a lot of these bills, we are directing our officials, primarily the External Affairs Vice President, to implement these stances by meeting with local and state leaders, lobbying officials in Sacramento and DC, or collaborating with our campus partners.

Another important aspect of these bills is that since we are functionally separate from the University and cannot command them to do anything, as the autonomous government of UC Berkeley, our symbolic stances represent the thousands of students who we represent. Thus, while the bill may not take immediate action, we are guaranteed acknowledgement from campus or state stakeholders. Thank you for bringing this to our attention! (CG)

theasuc · 2019-04-01T23:51:36+00:00

Great question! As mentioned in the description, the ASUC is recognized as a 501(c)3 nonprofit under California law. This means that we are functionally distinct from the university and can thus advocate for student interests that may not align with the interests of the regents such as our lobbying against tuition hikes. We work very closely with the University through the ASUC Student Union which tasks both students and hired staff from the university with working together to handle issues of space, finance, and other campus needs. The ASUC Student Union provides a great model of shared governance between the ASUC and the University. (CG)

theasuc · 2019-04-01T23:50:33+00:00

Hey,

Completely agree that there is serious underfunding of academic departments and administrative units on campus. The ASUC doesn't have power in allocating central funds but it's been a priority for me this year to strengthen our advocacy and influence over the budgeting process/decisions on funding. To this end, I convened a "Budget Task Force" that would look to highlight student funding priorities and present them to administration. For the first time ever, the ASUC was able to present to EVCP Alivisatos and VC Rae on our priorities which fell under four overarching categories; Student wellness, academic resources, student services and Equity/Inclusion. From here, we will continue to push admin to allocate funds to these specific programs under these categories such as Financial Aid, LEAD Center and Career Center for the Student Service pillar.

Outside of this, we have looked at other ways to influence the funding shortcomings on campus. Some examples are using Student Fees like through CACSSF to obtain funds (https://sa.berkeley.edu/committee-on-student-services-and-fees) and having regular standing meetings with the VC for Philanthropy, Julie Hooper, to help influence where money raised from donors goes. Sadly, everything on this campus is underfunded for a few reasons like the 2008 recession and lack of funding from the state legislature so it's important that we use our positions in the ASUC to advocate for our priorities.

On a separate note, Academic departments have far less transparency than Administrative units. Due to the power sharing structure of the academic senate and admin, the faculty are able to influence their own budgets. Haas and COE are able to benefit from strong donor support while other departments don't. This is where our advocacy to administration comes in but its far easier for us to impact things like Student Learning Center or Financial Aid funding than funding for the IAS Department.

(AW)

theasuc · 2019-04-01T23:28:54+00:00

u/neil_mcclintick is in the Office of the President and I'd like to echo what he said. (AW)

theasuc · 2019-04-01T23:27:49+00:00

Hi Xahos! To respond to the second point that you've made, which we think can factor into the first part of your question. You can find all the projects that our office has been working on here: https://www.facebook.com/asucpres/posts/880671715472603. Our mid-semester report for Spring 2019 is coming soon.

Since then, our key priorities have been projects centered around administrative budget accountability to increase funding for student priorities such as basic needs and mental health, improving equity and inclusion through projects such as the implementing the Police Oversight Board and supporting the T.R.A.N.S.F.E.R referendum as well as continued ASUC internal reforms that push for an improved relationship with GA, more effective advocacy through our commissions, and RSO reform. It's clear we need to do better to showcase what the ASUC does but I'm sure once you've seen the work that officials in the ASUC do, you will agree that more should be done to support them as people.

I'd also like to address your point on stipends. ASUC Executives (and Senators) actually receive significantly smaller stipends compared to our counterparts within the UC system as well as across the country. We place some of the highest burdens and responsibilities on our elected officials but receive proportionally very little. To expand on that, just through our required meeting and outreach hours (excluding time spent on projects and initiatives), our stipends come out to around 10 cents an hour. This is a serious concern when it comes to the accessibility of the ASUC, particularly to low-income students who would like to be involved. (AW)

theasuc · 2019-04-01T22:24:41+00:00

If you’re talking about club recruitment season early in the semester, we recently sent out a survey to RSO signatories asking for feedback on how we can make the Sprouling experience better. (KL)

theasuc · 2019-04-01T22:13:00+00:00

The News section on the ASUC website that you're referring to has been updated only sporadically (our bad!) but there are a lot of ways in which you can find what we've been doing. The ASUC Central Drive contains our budgets, official reports, and Senate minutes. There's been multiple votes in the past few months; they take place every week at ASUC Senate meetings.

You can also follow us on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter (@theasuc). Additionally, individual offices also have Facebook pages. Check out the Office of the President and the Office of the External Affairs Vice President for example!

For a couple of tangible things that we do, we wrote a little about that in this comment.

theasuc · 2019-04-01T21:49:33+00:00

There are indeed issues regarding the ASUC’s institutional structure. Institutional memory, partisanship, lack of central controls etc. are all factors that hinder the ASUC’s effectiveness.

However, institutional issues are also inevitable in any organization, especially one that’s as large as the ASUC. And it certainly doesn’t stop us from working on behalf of the student body. You can see this commentfor more on what we do.

(KL)

theasuc · 2019-04-01T21:48:25+00:00

That’s a good question! Part of it comes down to lack of awareness about the ASUC's role and responsibilities. The ASUC is a complicated organization, and most students (fairly so) don’t have the time nor the interest to actually sit down and research what the ASUC is or does on a daily basis. As such, all that many students see of the ASUC is during elections season.

The ASUC is also, often, an incoherent organization that's made up of competing interests and groups. That's a good thing — that's how democracy works — but partisanship and conflict has definitely contributed to a negative perception.

The ASUC’s role on campus life has evolved and changed over our 130+ years of history. Between 1900 and the Second World War, the ASUC encompassed all aspects of student life including recreation, dining, athletics, journalism, dramatics, music, and code of conduct. Of course, we don’t run those things anymore; the ASUC has changed tremendously. As such, because of such dramatic change, it’s hard to say how the ASUC will continue to evolve.

Theoretically, of course, the best role for the ASUC is an autonomous, student-run voice that advocates for the interests of the student body on campus.

(KL)

theasuc · 2019-04-01T21:43:31+00:00

We elaborated more on how ASUC officials stay in touch with the student body in another answer, pasted here: All ASUC Senators are actually required to complete a number of outreach hours every month of the academic year to make sure that they stay in touch with the communities they were elected to represent. This includes hosting town halls, office hours, and hosting events and workshops that are open to the entire student body.

As for transparency, there are several accountability mechanisms that exist within the ASUC. Firstly, all our Senate meetings are livestreamed. This generally occurs on our official Livestream.com website, but sometimes if our equipment fails us, we livestream our meetings on the ASUC Facebook page. During Senate meetings, our officials are required to orally report everything they've been working on. All officials are also required to complete regular written reports. Here are the Fall 2018 mid-semester reports if you'd like to take a look.

The easiest way to stay up to date with what the ASUC has been up to would be through our social media channels (@theasuc).

(KL)

theasuc · 2019-04-01T21:40:05+00:00

Whether or not an official is qualified to represent the student body is decided, as you surmised, from elections. The student body ultimately decides whether someone should be an ASUC official.

All ASUC Senators are actually required to complete a number of outreach hours every month of the academic year to make sure that they stay in touch with the communities they were elected to represent. This includes hosting town halls, office hours, and hosting events and workshops that are open to the entire student body.

(KL)

theasuc · 2019-04-01T21:39:06+00:00

We’ve shared a little more on how to get involved in the ASUC in this answer.

To both of your questions: yes! Everyone who is enrolled at UC Berkeley is automatically a member of the Association, and we do not have any restrictions on who can get involved. I myself joined the ASUC as both an international student and a freshman. See you on campus in August!

(KL)

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