EVPAccomplishments

OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

FALL 2014 – SPRING 2015 REPORT

EVP ACCOMPLISHMENTS ’14-15 • • •

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Lower Sproul Redevelopment Project …………………………..…………………. 3 Transition Moving into the New Lower Sproul Memorandum of Understanding #4 (MOU #4) Contract with Chartwells for Lower Sproul

Student & Student Organization Resources………………………………………. 5 Cal Lodge Renovations Project Credit Card Program (CCP) Room Reservation and Classroom Reservation Wheeler Late Night Program Annual Budget and Spaces Allocation Workshop (ABSA Workshop) Curriculum Development for Mandatory Student Leader Trainings Student Information Systems and Telebears REST Zones Project

ASUC Finances ………………………………………………………..…………………. 8 ASUC Financial Sustainability Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Student Services and Fees (CACSSF) Grants Researching and Drafting the BLUE + GOLD Referendum and the Wellness Referendum Financial Transparency Document

ASUC Internal Operations and Infrastructure ………………………..…..……. 11 Senate Leadership Institute (SLI) ASUC Internship DeCal Increased Transparency and Communications with CCO CSF Survey and Data Collection


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LOWER SPROUL REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT Transition Moving into the New Student Union Student Organizational Services (SOS) in the office of EVP has received more than 444 ABSA applications and, among them, over 300 allocation applications this year and SOS has processed all the applications including appeal applications in one month. SOS conducted interviews with thirty-one student groups for Office Space in two days and made decisions to their best interest and our best ability. We were able to give 184 distinct student groups storage space in Hearst Gym and 62 distinct student group office spaces in Eshleman. This process also included drafting space reservation and usage policies with the ASUC Student Union. SOS will conduct the Move-In/Move-Out process, as the ASUC-controlled spaces have newly been allocated. We will be conducting a Spaces Orientation to go over space usage policies and will provide them with new key combinations for their new spaces. SOS completed constructing a timeline for the moving back process of stakeholders to New Eshleman and MLK. SOS has met with every student group who will be moving back to MLK and most groups that are moving back to Eshleman. All information is available to student groups and will be presented during Space Orientation. Smooth transition back to Eshleman has always been one of the top priorities for EVP and everything is planned to make sure a smooth transition happens. Space Directors are also planning on being here over the summer to the beginning of next semester to ensure a smooth move in process and transition.

Memorandum of Understanding #4 (MOU #4) MOU #4 was a contract of agreement between the Regents of the University of California and the ASUC, which the Office of EVP helped to prepare along with other appointed officials. This MOU establishes the space allocations between the ASUC, Graduate Student Assembly (GA), and Student Union (SU) administration. It also determined the purposes of each floor and room in the new Eshleman Hall to be opened in Fall 2015. The basement of Eshleman Hall shall be student activity space assigned to bridges Multicultural Resource Center, the Queer Alliance Resource Center Room, and the Public Service Center. The first floor will remain a non-reservable space open to the campus community during the building’s operating hours. The second floor shall be student activity space as defined in MOU #3. The third floor will be either allocated to registered student organizations or considered as resolvable meeting rooms under the ASUC’s discretion regarding usage and assignment. The fourth floor of shall be


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assigned to the GA and dedicated to student organization support. The fifth floor will be assigned solely to the ASUC and maintained by the SU administration. Eshleman Hall lobby, Meditation Space in the Eshleman basement, and the MLK Student Union Building lobby shall remain open 24 hours a day for 7 days a week. These spaces shall be maintained and staffed by the SU administration. Certain rooms will only be available through limited key card access which eligibility will be agreed upon by the ASUC, GA, and SU Admin. Additionally, only posts pertaining to ASUC or student organization events will be permitted in Eshleman. Vendor posts will not be allowed outside retail spaces.

Contract with Chartwells for Lower Sproul The newly renovated Lower Sproul will include a food court when it opens in Fall 2015. Before, in the old Eshleman building, the food vendors were generally unpopular with the student body and as such, they did not gain enough revenue to pay rent, and ASUC was operating at a loss for these spaces. To prevent the same situation occurring in the new Lower Sproul, ASUC has taken careful consideration in choosing how to operate the rental spaces. The office of EVP has helped to develop a contract with Chartwells, a food-services organization that will oversee the chosen vendors. Currently, there are five vendors selected for the new Lower Sproul: Route 150 (soup/sandwiches), True Blue (burgers), Cal Slice or House of Pi (pizza), Sono (burritos), and Equator Coffee. This contract with Chartwells will ensure that the new Lower Sproul food court is financially sustainable. Also, the variety of options provided will provide students with more convenient food choices.


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STUDENT & STUDENT ORGANIZATION RESOURCES Cal Lodge Renovations Project Cal Lodge is a historic building built by UC student volunteers from the Department of Forestry in the late 1930s. The Lodge is owned by ASUC and is located in North Lake Tahoe. It’s approximately 10000 square feet, with over 50 and open to all groups including Cal student organizations, alumni, and the general public. A bill passed by Senate earlier this year reinstated the operation of Cal Lodge with a contract for KUBO Hospitality to manage the property after long closure due to mismanagement and poor maintenance. KUBO has forecasted net income to be about $80,000 in 2015 (a net projected revenue increase of $140,000 from previous years). Also, JK Architecture was selected as the Master Plan Architect to develop goals and objectives for the renovation of Cal Lodge. The entire renovation project is expected to cost roughly $5 million. Flyers and a website have been developed as well to market the Lodge to ensure it remains financially viable in future years as it continues to attract reservations.

Credit Card Program (CCP) The credit card program will enable student organizations to use a credit card when making purchases. Previously, student organizations used a retroactive reimbursement system which sometimes made purchases cumbersome, and there was also delays in reimbursements that confused student organizations about the whole process.. This new means of financial transaction will be much more convenient for student organizations when making payments to vendors, event speakers, as well as student organization supplies. Student organizations will have the choice of opting in or out of the Credit Card Program. he Credit Card Program includes better tracking devices to ensure that purchases are legitimate and following the rules and regulations. Furthermore, using the Credit Card will build credit for ASUC and student organizations along with the possibility of attaining reward points and benefits. The Credit Card Program is expected to start in Fall 2015 and surveys will be distributed to Credit Card Program participants to gain feedback on ways to improve the program The CCP is the result of the ASUC and Student Union partnership with Union Bank to meet the objective of progressing the financial transactions that student organizations engage in.

Room Reservation and Classroom Reservation The EVP Office tackled the problem of room reservations head on this year. Although this has been a complaint of students for many years now, tangible solutions have been created to ease this process


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for student organization leaders and study groups. Working with the Event Management System One Stop Shop Workgroup, the Office of the EVP helped build a brand new event management software (EMS) with the ASUC Student Union that will be applied to the new building when it opens. This software will allow student organizations to book unlimited number of rooms in the 24/7 hour access building based on availability. Rooms will also be available to be booked on the spot through a tablet in front of each meeting space of the new building. This includes all meeting spaces and performances spaces of Eshleman Hall. Additionally, the EVP Office worked with the Office of the Registrar to streamline classroom reservations. The EVP Office through talks with the Campus Committee on Classroom Policy and Management (CCCPM) and the Office of the Registrar was able to participate in the screening and acquiring of new classroom reservation software vendors. This software will update the outdated model of reservations on campus and help students and students organizations reserve classrooms in a quicker, streamlined model in the coming year. Additionally, the EVP Office worked with the Office of the Registrar to change the model of student organization reservations of classrooms. Currently, a large percentage of the rooms reserved on campus are not actually being used every single week. Discussions included changing the student org reservation count to number of hours instead to maximize the usage of all the available rooms across campus.

Wheeler Late Night Program The Wheeler Late Night Program is a partnership between ASUC / ASUC Student Union and the Office of the Registrar that launched in September 2014. In an effort to expand study spaces beyond the Student Learning Center (SLC) and the libraries, the office of EVP helped to make the classrooms in Wheeler available for late-night studying from 10pm - 2am Mondays through Fridays. Rooms are open for both reservations and walk-ins.

Annual Budget and Spaces Allocation Workshop (ABSA Workshop) The ABSA workshop is hosted jointly by the office of Executive Vice President (EVP) and the Chief Finance Officer (CFO) to assist student organizations in navigating the annual spring budgeting process. There is sometimes confusion among student organizations as to how to properly complete the budget and spaces application and this workshop assists student groups in understanding and navigating through the application process. The workshops included discussions and Q&As about the application and budgeting procedures, information of other sources of funding, and explanations of the timeline for whole ABSA process. To best accommodate the schedules of students , three ABSA workshops were held on three separate days. The ABSA workshops also serve to reevaluate the budget and spaces allocation process and procedures to ensure that the allocation is ethical and legitimate. ASUC becomes more transparent


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through these workshops by offering students an avenue of asking specific questions and bringing to attention any relevant concerns or issues that the CFO and members of the ASUC can address in person.

Curriculum Development for Mandatory Student Leader Trainings To become an Agent Signatory for a registered student organization (RSO), the person must go through a training provided by the LEAD Center. The office of EVP worked to adjust the curriculum for this training to include a specific focus on understanding cultural competency, mental health, sexual assault awareness, drug and substance abuse and risk prevention methods. This mandatory training with the adjusted curriculum will help cultivate an understanding and diverse campus.

Revamped Sound System for Student Groups The office of EVP worked to purchase new sound equipment (i.e. wiring, speakers, etc) for use by student groups on Savio Steps. Before, the equipment was outdated and consistently malfunctioned. Dance groups and other student organizations such as Rally Committee specifically benefit from the new equipment. In total, there was approximately $20,000 worth of equipment purchased from funds secured from a CACSSF proposal from a previous year.

Student Information Systems and Telebears The EVP Office worked as a representative to the Student Information Systems Leadership Group last year. Working with SIS, the EVP contributed to conversations about the changes to Telebears and other parts of the SIS overhaul. This included creating the criteria for the vendor selection process as well as communicating with students about the SIS timeline of changes. The EVP Office was also invited and participated in the SIS Open House event of Fall 2014. More information about the project can be found: http://sis-project.berkeley.edu/timeline

REST Zones Project The Relaxation Enhancing Study and Thought (REST) Zones project was an EVP - AAVP joint initiative to increase alternative study and relaxation spaces on campus. Using an evidence-based model of approaching this problem, the project members researched and identified structural designs with their positive health outcomes. The project ultimately secured $67,000 through grants to plan and purchase new equipment in the newly acquired space in the Moffitt Library.


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ASUC FINANCES

ASUC Financial Sustainability The EVP Office worked with the ASUC Student Union Board to prioritize ASUC Financial Sustainability for the coming years. This included successfully negotiating a contract with Amazon.com, BBA Solutions, and the ASUC Student Union to operate a new Cal Student Store together in the new building. Amazon will handle textbooks while BBA Solutions will be handling merchandise next year. For students, this means faster shipping and quicker access to textbooks and supplies for their academic endeavors. For the ASUC, this means increased guaranteed revenue while providing students with a very necessary service. In addition, the EVP Office worked with the ASUC Student Union Board to implement a concrete fundraising platform in the new building through room naming rights. By selling rights to different rooms in the new building, the projected revenue to be drawn from this platform is roughly $22 million. Not only will this help the sustainability of the lower sproul redevelopment project, this fundraising platform helps the ASUC’s financially sustainable future as well.

Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Student Services and Fees (CACSSF) Grants CACSSF is a standing committee that advises the Chancellor and senior administrators on student services and fee issues. The committee is tasked with reviewing grant proposals and making short and long term allocation recommendations for the Student Services Fund. The committee consists of seventeen voting members, nine of which are students (including three ASUC executives). CACSSF was funded through a $486 per semester fee that all UC Berkeley students paid. This year, CACSSF had $500,000 available. Together with other appointed officials, the office of EVP secured over $300,000 in funding for projects including $45,000 for EOP Peer Academic Counseling, $61,108 for a satellite counseling center in the new Student Union Building to help support the mental health of students, and $10,000 to revamp the ASUC website and make it more accessible and useful for students. There were also various projects that directly deal with improving student life, including $25,000 for the Night of Cultural Resistance, $15,000 for the Let’s Talk About It program in the Multicultural Center, and $25,000 for bridges Senior Weekend.

Researching and Preparing the B.L.U.E & G.O.L.D. Referenda and the Health and Wellness Referendum


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The Giving Opportunities and Leadership Development (G.O.L.D.) fee was a referendum passed researched and prepared by the office of EVP along with other appointed officials. It was approved by the students in April 2015. The fee is $19 per semester ($38 per year with one-third going back to financial aid as per campus policy) and goes to the Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence (CE3), which includes the Educational Opportunity Program, Transfer Student Services Center (TSSC), Student Parent Center, Re-Entry Student Program, Undocumented Student Program, Cal Independent Scholars Network Program, and the Veteran Services Center. These programs empower non-traditional, underserved, and/or underrepresented students who reflect the diversity of California with the specialized support, expertise, and advocacy required to achieve educational equity and excellence. Specifically, the fee will be used to: provide more counseling staff for the nearly 13,000 EOP students on campus (only 30% of which can be accommodated with the current staff), expanding the TSSC’s transition and success seminars, establishing and expanding student employment opportunities in CE3 by adding 3 paid internships within each program, and creating a programming budget for each program in CE3. The Bringing Life to the UC Berkeley Experience (BLUE) Referendum, which aimed to increase the ASUC student activity fee by $20 per semester, did not pass with a 36.8 percent vote against and a 30.3 percent vote abstention. The additional funds would have gone towards student organizations, Public Service Center, SUPERB, bridges, and ASUC operations. The Wellness Referendum Fee was also researched and prepared with the help of EVP and other appointed officials. It will replace the Recreational Sports Fee ($55) set to expire in 2016 and the Intramural Sports Fee ($28.50) set to expire in 2017. Upon assessment of Wellness Referendum Fee, the Recreational Sports Fee and the Intramural Sports Fee will no longer be assessed, but the original referendum language for those fees will still apply to their governance. The replacement of the two mandatory RSF fees would support existing services offered at RSF and the California Memorial Stadium (“CMS”) Fitness Center, including operations, existing debt service, and a reserve fund for equipment replacement and maintenance. Additionally, the fee would buy-out the voluntary RSF student membership fee of $10 by increasing mandatory campus-based fees by $8.50. The Wellness Referendum Fee would also add an additional $54 to mandatory campus-based fees to fund a new campus-wide wellness program. In accordance with campus policy, one third of the increase in fees will go financial aid. The Wellness Referendum will cut down referral and wait times at the Tang Center, improve access to mental health services, provide opportunities for healthier living, and provide extra support for students with the greatest wellness need.

Financial Transparency Document The Financial Transparency Document details how expenditures in ASUC. Currently, a yearly budget is available to the public. However, this budget only shows how funds are allocated. The Document breaks down the total spent by student groups and government operations/programs. Additionally, for the Executive Offices, Senate, and Secretariat, discretionary funds are displayed.


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Currently, although financial data from previous years is recorded, a comprehensive document of ASUC spending does not exist. This Document hopes to begin to maintain an adequate record of ASUC finances. It will serve as reference in analyzing any trends or significant changes in spending. The Transparency Document also hopes to bridge the gap between students and the ASUC. There is a common perception that ASUC is not transparent and many wonder how their student fees are being spent. This document hopes to alleviate some of these concerns by summarizing ASUC’s financial information. By making the ASUC more transparent, students will gain a better idea of what ASUC does and how it operates.


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ASUC INTERNAL OPERATIONS & INFRASTRUCTURE Senate Leadership Institute (SLI) The Senate Leadership Institute (SLI) is an annual eight-day retreat hosted by EVP for the training of Senators. It is held before the beginning of the academic year to ensure that newly-elected ASUC Senators are ready for their term. In the retreat, Senators are informed about topics including, but not limited to: ASUC bylaws, functions of the ASUC Student Union, and campus climate. SLI is instrumental for the function of ASUC as it teaches new Senators the resources available for them to fulfill their campaign promises. Also, it familiarizes Senators with the rules of ASUC to avoid violations of the bylaws. As elected officials, Senators have an obligation to the student body to carry out their campaign promises and to best represent the students. The general student body benefits indirectly from SLI by having competent Senators who are able to navigate the structure of ASUC to create positive change.

ASUC Internship DeCal ASUC, as an organization, is heavily reliant upon internships to fill positions in various offices throughout the government. The Internship Program is run by the office of EVP and is in charge of the recruiting, interviewing process, and placement of two hundred interns. Interns’ opinions are taken into careful consideration and EVP helps them to switch departments if they have a valid reason. The Internship Program also includes a mandatory two-unit DeCal (Public Policy 98/198) which provides interns with a holistic understanding of ASUC to enable them to be most effective in their positions. Interns are also taught effective leadership skills and learn to identify the leadership style that most resonates with themselves.

Increased Transparency and Communications with CCO The Office of EVP worked closely with the Chief Communications Officer to expand transparency and outreach efforts of the ASUC. This included implementation of the new ASUC Tabling Program to put ASUC Officials on Sproul to interface directly with students every day. The EVP Office also installed four glass cases in Dwinelle, Wheeler, Barrows, and Evans. These bulletin boards served as additional tools to outreach to students about ASUC events and programming. Lastly, the EVP Office


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worked with the CCO to make senate meetings webstreamed this year to provide students with the ability to engage with their elected ASUC Senators in real time.

CSF Survey & Data Collection The EVP Office worked really closely with the Committee on Student Fees (CSF) this year to conduct actual data collection on the needs of UC Berkeley students. Completely revamping the CSF Survey this year, the joint effort of the ASUC, GA, and CSF on its annual survey garnered almost 5,000 responses this year. For the first time, the survey asked students about wellness, housing affordability, student fees, advising, student organization experiences, and much more. This data was analyzed and key findings were consolidated for both undergraduate and graduate students. The data collected this year will be used to create data-driven solutions, policies, and programming that the ASUC and GA can implement in the future. [http://tinyurl.com/ouz8qyj]

Documents

EVPAccomplishments