• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

The Graduate Student Association swore in its new officers and outlined plans to improve graduate student resources at its forum meeting on Wednesday.

During their last meeting of the year, outgoing forum members gave tokens of appreciation to President Charles Harless and Vice President-Internal Dorothy Kim for their contribution to GSA over the past two years.

Harless and Kim said they were leaving their offices in good hands. Both will also be sitting on the Associated Students of UCLA board of directors next year.

“The two years that I’ve been in GSA have been the best two years I’ve had at UCLA, but it’s also time to move on and let other people get the experience,” Harless said.

Kim said she has seen GSA become more proactive in solving graduate student issues, and that she believed next year’s officers will bring further improvements to the association.

The new officers – Academic Affairs Vice President Marilyn Gray, Vice President-Internal Victoria Irigoyen, and President Hanish Rathod – were sworn in by the old officers. The new vice president-external, Laura Sanchez, was unable to attend the meeting.

After taking oath, Irigoyen outlined her plans to develop a graduate student lounge in the current GSA office.

She said the office space, along with the newly established Graduate Student Resource Center, will be turned into a place where students can discuss issues affecting them without the time constraints of forum meetings.

Forum also approved decisions made by the Appointments Board early last week for GSA cabinet appointments.

The board, comprised of one representative from each academic council, interviewed and selected candidates to fill most of the positions. New officers will handle the filling of three leftover vacancies in the Student Fee Advisory Committee and ASUCLA Communications Board next year.

In preparation for next year, forum passed a resolution establishing the UCLA Environmental Resource Center to provide students with educational tools and other materials concerning environmental and social issues.

“We want to take the existing office to the next level. … It’s the best way to utilize our space and encourage people to take advantage of our resources,” said Matthew Hardy, director of the Environmental Coalition.

Currently the Environmental Coalition, comprised of both undergraduate and graduate students, is funded only by GSA.

Harless said because of the extra costs associated with establishing and maintaining the center, the coalition is working on getting funds from the Undergraduate Students Association Council.

Forum also passed a separate resolution expressing support for the Student Academic Rights and Responsibilities document. The document, which condenses policies for graduate students from various university sources, is set to be discussed at the Academic Senate Graduate Council today.

Harless said the Graduate Division is ready to endorse the document and plans to distribute copies to all incoming graduate students beginning next school year.

“Hopefully the document will make it easier for students to understand what’s going on in their departments,” he added.