Alpha Partners advocate less student control
ASUCLA politics and short turnover hindered business
By Patrick Kerkstra
Daily Bruin Staff
For the first time in 14 years, the associated students' Board of Directors met without Jason Reed serving as executive director of the organization. The difference on Friday was startling.
The tense, worried atmosphere that characterized so many of the board's earlier meetings this year was gone. Since Reed's dismissal on April 24, optimism and good humor has charged many association officials.
Friday's meeting was indicative of the association's apparent cultural change as well. Board members briskly and enthusiastically conducted their business, finishing the meeting in three hours and 40 minutes, one of the shorter meetings this year.
Only slightly less surprising than the difference in atmosphere were the dramatic changes the Alpha Partners turnaround consultants said the board should consider.
Serving as the interim executive directors of the organization, the consultants proposed the formation of a "Committee to Restructure ASUCLA." The committee's express purpose is to take a look at the mission and basic structure of the associated students.
"There are some competing theories on ASUCLA's decline," Alpha Partner Charles Mack said.
"There's the theory that maybe there are some leadership problems at ASUCLA on the management levels on the other hand, there's the theory that there are some structural elements in place which are fundamentally flawed and require a more drastic fix from an organization and mission standpoint," he continued.
However, it was clear the consultants think the student majority board should be further removed from the day-to-day operation of the company.
One of the problems association managers encounter constantly is the changing nature of the board and the impact that has on business projects, the consultants said. Historically, a board will set guidelines and long-term strategic goals, only to see next year's board change them, Mack said.
"You cannot underestimate the impact of the stop-and-go environment that management has been subjected to. I would encourage manager and board members to have candid conversations and relay some of their experiences with the chilling impact the stop- and-go environment has on business," Mack said.
In a report given to the board and others present at the meeting titled, "What's wrong with ASUCLA anyway?" the association urged the board to "Insulate the business decision-making process of ASUCLA from the political concerns of the student governments."
But the presence of York Chang and Todd Sargent at the meeting, two of the candidates for next year's undergraduate presidency, indicated that the future of the associated students' probably would be an important political issue next year.
Both candidates were leery of some of the consultants' language and intentions.
"It seems they really want to take ASUCLA in the direction of a company that reaps its profits from students. But the whole reason of ASUCLA is to prioritize student needs above profit and capital investments. We need to find a middle ground to make ASUCLA financially viable, but student-oriented, too," Chang said.
Sargent was concerned particularly with the consultants' suggestions to weaken student control.
"I have a strong concern for an associated students that doesn't take students as the primary decision-makers, or at least important decision-makers. I definitely think students know what it will take to make ASUCLA work again," Sargent said.
Either Chang, Sargent or the third candidate, Joel Elad, will serve as the board chair next year. The undergraduate president appoints the other undergraduate representatives as well.
The consultants repeatedly likened the board to "a mining company run by environmentalists." With this reference, they tried to explain the conflicts in operating a successful business while focusing on short-term student benefits instead of capital investment.
Current board members also immediately raised concerns about maintaining student involvement in the organization. George Brown, an influential faculty representative on the board, said after the meeting that the board was unlikely to enact any major changes that would move it away from student control.
Student representatives on the board also expressed reservations about the plans.
"I do believe that political concerns sometimes hinder the board and work against an effective association, but at the same time you need to remember that first and foremost this is the students' association, and students should be at the forefront," said Rob Greenhalgh, undergraduate president.
The end result of the discussion was essentially an agreement to let the newly formed committee come to the next board meeting with a list of proposed changes.
In the same written report, Alpha Partners also targeted the association's belief that it could "do it all" meaning the organization could maintain a successful company while at the same time offer low prices and discounts to students. In their report, the consultants pointed to the favorable business climate of the 1980s as the probable source of what they called the organization's unrealistic expectations.
But as expenses rose and growth slowed, the association chose the short-term benefits of low prices over capital projects. The consultants believe that was a critical mistake.
For years the association's facilities were neglected, and new business ventures were kept at a minimum.
Mack and Drumwright intend to reverse that immediately. At the meeting, the association's leaders presented a list of physical improvements they'd like to make. The improvements totaled over $11 million.
Despite the debate over student involvement and the $11 million in proposed improvements, the pervading feeling was one of cooperation and goodwill.
The committee considering changes in the association's structure also agreed to meet in public. Their suggestions will be discussed at the next board meeting.