Around 5:40 a.m., as the sky is just beginning to brighten, she reaches her office at the LEAD Center, the campus leadership and advising center for student organizations, and begins her daily routine: Pick up a copy of The Daily Californian, check her schedule online and prepare for a busy day of meetings with student leaders.

The end of June will mark Crowder’s retirement after 30 years of work for the ASUC and 44 years for UC Berkeley. Last week, the ASUC Senate passed two bills recognizing Crowder and her colleague Irene Lam for their longtime service. Crowder was honored specifically for leaving behind a legacy of student leaders who have developed under her close mentorship.

“Jan is clear-thinking and indefatigably committed to contributing to the greater good … whether it be by giving some unsavory but needed advice to a well-meaning but misguided student or staff or by getting the party started with a laugh,” said Millicent Morris-Chaney, a UC Berkeley alumna and one of Crowder’s colleagues at the LEAD Center.

As former director of student affairs and a current LEAD Center coordinator, Crowder has been a source of constant support for hundreds of students over the years, advising them not only on organizational issues such as program planning and finances but also on personal and academic matters.

Morris-Chaney recalled how Crowder personally encouraged her to dream big and apply for a job with the ASUC Auxiliary after her own graduation from UC Berkeley 13 years ago.

“She saw qualities in me I did not know I had, and she supported the development of those qualities by encouraging my professional growth, providing honest and direct feedback and having confidence in my ability,” Morris-Chaney said.

Crowder has also worked closely with elected ASUC officials over the years, guiding them as they developed their visions.

“Student leaders come and go … but Jan was always there, keeping track of decades of student policy, constitutional changes and how to engage students without taking their agency from them,” said Nadesan Permaul, former director of the ASUC Auxiliary and a current UC Berkeley lecturer in rhetoric. “That is a gift.”

ASUC Executive Vice President Justin Sayarath remembered how Crowder reassured him during an especially stressful time last summer.

“Jan pulled me aside and helped me gather my thoughts,” Sayarath said. “She told me that I was doing a great job and that everything was going to be OK … (then) she sat down with me and ran through my plans to pack up the rest of the 300 organizations in Eshleman. She helped make the Lower Sproul surge successful, and I am so thankful for her.”

Since being hired as a typist in 1969 for Andrew Billingsley, one of the first faculty members of the campus department of ethnic studies, Crowder has gone through several different positions at UC Berkeley, including secretary at the chancellor’s office; office manager at the environment, health and safety office; director of student affairs in the ASUC and, now, a LEAD Center coordinator.

Her experiences within the various departments on campus have given her a wealth of knowledge about the inner functions of the school. Crowder attributes her success to the numerous staff members and students she has worked with.

“Everything I’ve done is with their support,” Crowder said. “It has been an experience of continuous educational growth for me.”

This support was especially crucial eight years ago, when Crowder was diagnosed with breast cancer. Though Crowder was declared cancer-free after only a couple of years of treatment, the experience caused her to reconsider her life philosophy.

“I know the cancer does come back,” Crowder said, “so I want to enjoy life while I can.”

Though Crowder is retiring, she plans to remain in steady contact with the students and staff members she has worked with during her term.

“It’s not just a job — I truly care,” Crowder said. “I’m a little bit sad about leaving … (but) it’s time for me to make way for the young ideas.”

Contact Alison Fu at afu@dailycal.org.

The post ASUC Senate honors adviser for 44 years of service appeared first on The Daily Californian.

In a statement sent to members of the ASUC, Poullard welcomed current director of the Student Union and Event Services at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Kelsey Finn as the new director, a position that works closely with ASUC executives overseeing business administration and acting as a liaison between the student government and the campus.

“Kelsey believes in providing ‘guest first’ services to students, staff, faculty and off campus clients and working collaboratively to enhance the learning experience of students,” Poullard said in the statement.

In her new position, Finn will oversee 27 professional staff and 124 student employees while managing an annual operating budget of $5 million, according to Poullard’s statement. She will also be involved in the ongoing Lower Sproul renovation.

According to ASUC President Connor Landgraf, ASUC officials were involved in the search process for the new director and helped to select Finn from the pool of applicants.

“I think she’s very qualified since she holds a similar position at University of Nevada,” Landgraf said. “She has a lot of experience working with students.”

Marilyn Stager, ASUC Auxiliary financial services manager, has served as the interim director since September.

Former Executive Director of the auxiliary Nadesan Permaul retired amid controversy last June, two days before the auxiliary underwent a major realignment from Administration and Finance to the Division of Student Affairs. Since then, members of the ASUC have said that campus administration is ignoring students’ wishes for the realignment.

In May, former Cooperative Movement Senator Elliot Goldstein wrote an op-ed in The Daily Californian arguing that the idea of “shared governance” on which the basis of managing the ASUC Auxiliary is founded had been breached by Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Harry Le Grande and other members of the campus administration during the realignment.

A committee of students and administrators called the Transition Planning Team was founded as a compromise and created a report detailing ways to streamline the auxiliary’s operations. According to Goldstein, Le Grande has ignored the report’s recommendation regarding the executive director’s role.

“For those in the ASUC, a key part of the committee’s report was to put the ASUC Auxiliary executive director’s reporting line (who reports to whom) to Le Grande himself,” Goldstein said in the op-ed. “… Berkeley students deserve nothing less than having our student government’s reporting line to a vice chancellor level.”

According to Landgraf, as of now, the executive director reports to the dean of students.

Adelyn Baxter is the news editor.

The post Campus announces new ASUC Auxiliary executive director appeared first on The Daily Californian.

Nine of the last 10 presidential winners of the ASUC general elections came from social fraternities and sororities, while the other was endorsed by the president of a Greek council. This year, the presidential candidates from the strongest student political parties are both in fraternities — a rare occurrence.

Student Action candidate Connor Landgraf is a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, and CalSERVE candidate Andrew Albright is a member of Sigma Epsilon Omega, a gay fraternity. Other presidential candidates also have connections to the Greek community.

Landgraf and Albright said they want to represent the entire campus, not just the Greek community.

Still, that community can help mobilize large groups of students and advertise individual campaigns or party slates.

In a previous interview, Landgraf said “the Greek community will be very important” for the election. All four executives slated for Student Action this year are in the Greek system.

When asked about the role of the Greek system in campaigning, Landgraf reiterated his party’s mantra — that it aims to represent “every student, every year.” He said most Greek-affiliated Student Action candidates also represent other communities.

Albright said CalSERVE did not consider his Greek affiliation a major factor when choosing him as the presidential nominee, but he added that the community will be beneficial in getting votes and that CalSERVE “has never tapped into that.”

“We’ve had difficulty running people in the Greek system,” Albright said. “It is not one of our main bases.”

Despite its strong presence in ASUC elections, the Greek system makes up only a small portion of the student body. A spring 2010 campus report showed 2,644 students in the Greek community, about 10.2 percent of the campus population.

Yet running Greek-affiliated candidates has proved successful in the past. Of the last 10 candidates slated for president by Student Action, seven were confirmed members of a Greek house. They all won.

The three Student Action candidates unconfirmed as members of a Greek house — no data could confirm their Greek affiliation — lost each election to CalSERVE candidates, two of whom were confirmed members of campus chapters, while the other was endorsed by Greek community members.

The last time both parties had Greek system candidates was in 2009, when Student Action candidate Will Smelko won over CalSERVE’s Oscar Mairena. In 2005, Student Action candidate and Phi Delta Theta member Manuel Buenrostro won over CalSERVE candidate and Phi Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority member Justine Lazaro.

Once in office, former ASUC Auxiliary Director Nadesan Permaul said candidates’ actions did not reflect their Greek affiliations. Permaul said in an email that he “did not see any particular preference or lack of support for the Greek System when compared to other initiatives or concerns advanced by student government” during his five years as director.

But other presidential candidates feel that the Greek system is unfairly dominated by Student Action.

SQUELCH! presidential candidate and current senator Noah Ickowitz — who pledged a fraternity but never joined — said students in the Greek system were limited by only having Student Action representation.

“I think Student Action taking the title of UNITE Greek does a disservice to the Greek system,” Ickowitz said, adding that this makes the Greek system part of a political party instead of a constituency.

Independent presidential candidate and Pi Kappa Alpha member Brad Mosell said he felt the Greek system has held an advantage in election campaigns because it becomes a centralized location for campaigning.

“It isn’t like it’s 60 people that are all best friends — there are subgroups,” Mosell said. “(But) on election day, you can get … subgroups to vote.”

Chloe Hunt is the lead student government reporter.

The post Over past decade, Greek system candidates dominated ASUC presidential elections appeared first on The Daily Californian.

As of now, the student store is the only campus vendor that has stopped selling water bottles. Store director Jeff Deutsch said the store has not lost any revenue as a result and that beverage sales have actually gone up this semester.

“People are buying other drinks,” Deutsch said. “We did our best to also replace water with some healthy alternatives like tea and things that aren’t as sweetened.”

Signage telling students to use the store’s water fountains has also been implemented in the store, and Deutsch said the store ordered more plastic refillable water containers to provide a cheap alternative. He added that the store did not stop selling water bottles to make any sort of political statement but rather to reflect student opinion.

The push to ban bottled water began when students voted overwhelmingly in favor of a referendum in last spring’s ASUC elections that called for the campus to phase out its sale of water bottles. Additionally, last semester, the ASUC Senate passed a bill supporting “Take Back the Tap” — a national campaign promoting increased use of tap water over bottled water. The senate bill set 2014 as the goal year to completely eliminate the sale of bottled water on campus, and created a campus coordinator to help with the efforts.

Following the student store’s elimination of water bottle sales, which went into effect at the beginning of the semester, Ally Beach, the campus coordinator, said the next goal is to stop private vendors from selling bottled water.

Both Beach and Cooperative Movement Senator Elliot Goldstein — who has led the efforts to eliminate the sale of water bottles — met with the owners of Yali’s and the Free Speech Movement Cafe, with whom they discussed taking bottled water off their shelves for Earth Week next month. According to Goldstein, they are still in communication with both vendors, and it is not known yet whether the cafes will do this.

Goldstein said they plan to approach Cal Dining Director Shawn LaPean soon. LaPean said Cal Dining has been promoting tap water for years and that bottled water sales have gone down as a result.

But LaPean added that Cal Dining would not get to make the decision regarding the elimination of bottled water, and it would have to be a campus policy. He said he would support what the campus decides.

The I Heart Tap Water campaign — a collaboration between Cal Dining, University Health Services and the campus Office of Environment, Health and Safety — also promotes drinking tap water. Trish Ratto, Health*Matters manager for University Health Services, said several hydration stations that provide chilled water have already been installed on campus, with about 15 open to the general public. Hydration stations are infrastructure designed specifically to easily fill up water bottles.

But Ratto said that I Heart Tap Water does not share the goal of completely eliminating bottled water from campus, though decreasing the demand for it is certainly a goal.

“I think there will always be someone that is a visitor to campus that could need to buy a beverage,” Ratto said.

Courtney Moulds covers student government.

The post Efforts to ban bottled water at UC Berkeley continue appeared first on The Daily Californian.

With a little over two months until an April 30 deadline to submit recommendations for restructuring the ASUC’s administrative branch, a transition team charged with the task is still collecting information, leaving many in the dark about what will happen to the ASUC Auxiliary in the future.

The Transition Planning Team — composed of student leaders and campus officials — was formed after the ASUC Senate voiced concerns over the summer that the shift in the Auxiliary’s reporting structure was moving too quickly and without student input, possibly leading to the ASUC losing autonomy from the administration. The shift moved the Auxiliary from the purview of Administration and Finance to the campus Division of Student Affairs effective July 1.

However, the transition team may recommend a complete restructuring of the Auxiliary — which is chiefly responsible for overseeing the ASUC budget and facilities — after assessing its staffing, financial stability and student needs, according to a document provided by LeNorman Strong, associate vice chancellor of student affairs for Residential and Student Service Programs, and ASUC External Affairs Vice President Joey Freeman, who are leading the team.

Though the transition team will suggest recommendations, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Harry Le Grande will ultimately decide whether to implement them.

In order to re-evaluate the Auxiliary, the transition team is interviewing Auxiliary employees and visiting other campuses to examine their student government business models. According to the transition team’s planning calendar, campus visits and interviews are planned to last until Feb. 24.

Neither Strong nor Freeman was able to predict what the final recommendations will be.

The transition was a significant source of contention over the summer, when the ASUC Senate put forth two strongly worded documents opposing the change.

Following a June 30 letter from the incoming and outgoing senate classes to the campus administration, a senate resolution said the change would create a conflict of interest due to the ASUC Student Advocate’s Office — which advises in matters of student conduct — becoming too closely tied to the Center for Student Conduct and Community Standards, which investigates student conduct matters and is overseen by student affairs.

“A perceived conflict of interest arises about representation and advocacy of students,” the resolution states. “This act disallows the ASUC from representing students in the most effective manner, and consequently strips the body of not only its autonomy, but also its duties.”

But ASUC Student Advocate Samar Shah said in an email that the issue of what organizational structure the Auxiliary is tied with has no influence on how his office functions.

“The organizational change has never threatened a conflict of interest and accordingly has had no influence on the operations or strategy of our office,” Shah said in the email.

Additionally, the resolution cited concerns regarding the Commercial Activities Agreement — a March 1998 agreement between the UC Board of Regents and the ASUC that created the Auxiliary. According to the agreement, the Auxiliary is limited to functions only related to the ASUC student and commercial activities.

“A reorganization of such significant magnitude substantially modifies the structures implemented by the … agreement,” the resolution states.

Associate Auxiliary Director Tom Spivey said he did not believe the Auxiliary had changed since the transition but did not want to speculate on the possible changes brought forward by the transition team.

Despite the senators’ concerns that the process was rushed, the reorganization was being discussed as a possibility since at least 2010, stemming from the campus cost-cutting Operational Excellence initiative.

Meeting minutes from an Oct. 6, 2010, senate meeting state that Albert Pisano — then professor and acting dean of the College of Engineering and former faculty head of the program office for the initiative — said the Auxiliary would be considered as part of the student services component of the initiative.

According to a Nov. 3, 2010, report from former ASUC Auxiliary Director Nadesan Permaul in senate minutes, Permaul said campus administrators planned to review “whether there was any synergy between the services currently offered within the Auxiliary and the potential for shared or relocated services in Student Affairs.”

At that time, there was no expectation of any change to the Auxiliary — only the consideration of the possibility, according to Permaul’s report.

Le Grande also said he had worked closely with former ASUC president Noah Stern and former Graduate Assembly president Miguel Daal before the realignment was set to begin.

Still, several senators said they feel they have been inadequately informed throughout the process.

“We have received very few concrete updates, other than the general notion that the Transition Planning Team has done very little thus far,” said CalSERVE Senator Andrew Albright in an email.

A subcommittee of senators led by Cooperative Movement Senator Elliot Goldstein was formed to assist the transition team, but its meetings were infrequent last semester due to a lack of information from the transition team, according to Goldstein.

“We weren’t meeting,” Goldstein said. “And it seemed like the (transition team) wasn’t meeting.”

Chloe Hunt is the lead student government reporter.

The post As deadline approaches, ASUC Auxiliary’s future remains unclear appeared first on The Daily Californian.

Last year, former ASUC Auxiliary Director Nadesan Permaul and former ASUC President Noah Stern entered into an informal agreement to convert the library at the top of Eshleman Hall into a commercial space, according to the ASUC bill that authorized the change.

The auxiliary estimated that the change would produce a net difference of $70,000 and relieve the ASUC from the $40,000 previously required to staff the library — formerly the only 24-hour study location on campus that allowed food and drink.

Though we are saddened that such a student service could not be supported by the ASUC, we understand the conversion of the space because we recognize the need to raise funds — especially that which will ultimately benefit students. The library was an opportune place to study for those whose student groups have offices within Eshleman and students who didn’t want to venture too far into campus from Southside.

We do, however, hope that the ASUC will take this situation to examine possibly broader structural problems that led it to take away a space designated for studying.

When student services are compromised because of a financial shortfall, the ASUC should see this as a signal that something must be changed. The onus is on the ASUC to ensure that the best interests of students are observed.

Editor’s Note: The Daily Californian rents its office on the sixth floor of Eshleman Hall from the ASUC. In May 2009, the ASUC Store Operations Board forgave the Daily Cal a portion of its rent. As part of the agreement, a nonpolitical student member of the board sits on the Daily Cal’s Board of Directors, which has no control over the paper’s editorial content.

The post Trading spaces appeared first on The Daily Californian.

A native of the eastern San Fernando Valley, he had not even visited before he made his way up for orientation. But it was not long before he became enamored with his surroundings.

“Literally, the first day I arrived here, I walked up to Memorial Stadium because it was a Sunday and the Bears had just played Oregon the day before, and I went into the stadium and looked around and I thought ‘wow, this is big time,’” Permaul said. “I think it was a romance from the moment I walked here.”

Fast-forward about 44 years and the romance is still alive, even as Permaul, the outgoing director of the ASUC Auxiliary, prepares to finish his administrative duties on campus.

He leaves in the midst of a pivotal time for the ASUC. The June 28 announcement of his retirement came the day before it took effect and just three days before a controversial realignment of the Auxiliary to the Division of Student Affairs, though Permaul has been continuing on a voluntary basis until Sept. 1.

But Permaul had already intended to retire within the next year, and he said his reasoning for doing so this summer instead was based on the best interests of his family. Additionally, he said his decision came as the result of  discussions with Ron Coley, associate vice chancellor for business and administrative services, to whom the Auxiliary reported prior to its realignment, and Jonathan Poullard, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students to whom the Auxiliary now reports.

“Now it’s time for somebody younger, hopefully somebody who cares for and appreciates the ASUC as much as I do, to take the reins and work with student leaders,” Permaul said.

Looking back on Permaul’s time at the Auxiliary and the host of projects he undertook, Marilyn Stager, acting Auxiliary director and former financial services manager, said Permaul’s involvement with the B.E.A.R.S. Initiative will likely be one of his longest-lasting legacies.

The initiative was passed in the spring 2010 ASUC General Election and provides for the renovation of Lower Sproul Plaza — a project which includes the demolition and reconstruction of seismically unsafe Eshleman Hall and  the enhancement of the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union.

“Nad is a visionary, so in a way it was kind of hectic to work under him because he always had so many things he wanted to have happen,” Stager said. “The students are, and they’ve always been, his number one priority — he loves students.”

ASUC President Vishalli Loomba said she appreciated Permaul’s work as an ally for students in many respects, including an overall attitude of helpfulness and an investment in the success of students.

“He has made so many incredible contributions to this campus,” Loomba said. “The amount that he gives to students is immeasurable.”

For his part, Permaul noted that the initiative’s passage has also enhanced the relationship between the ASUC and the campus because the two groups are now financially tied together in order to fund the project.

But Permaul’s time at the Auxiliary is far from his only involvement in the campus administration. Prior to becoming Auxiliary director in 2006, Permaul was the director of Parking and Transportation for about 10 years. Before that, his various roles on campus included positions at UCPD and the Department of Recreational Sports.

As far as finding a permanent replacement for Permaul, a hiring team composed of student and campus officials will conduct a national search to find a new director, and Stager will continue to serve as director until a permanent replacement can be found.

Previously, because of the expedited timeline for Permaul’s retirement, concern had been raised about whether his departure was entirely voluntary, but Permaul declined to comment directly on that topic.

“I don’t think it serves any purpose for me to talk about that at all — I think the people who are working on the transition team for the ASUC Auxiliary … if there are issues that needed to be addressed that are still outstanding, I’m sure they will be addressed in that process,” he said.

Looking forward, though he does plan on continuing to teach, Permaul said he does not plan on being formally involved in the ASUC once his departure is complete.

“When I left the presidency of the alumni association in 2005, I had the good sense to remember what I did when I was student body president in high school … stay out,” he said. “Give the next person the chance to do their thing.”

The post Outgoing Auxiliary director reflects on term appeared first on The Daily Californian.

In May, the university released a request for proposal which stated the minimum requirements necessary for beverage companies to bid for a contract. The only responsive bid came from Pepsi, according to Nadesan Permaul, the director of and alliance negotiator for the ASUC Auxiliary.

“No contract has been signed, but the campus is working closely with Pepsi to ensure that contract language acceptable to both parties is in place,” Permaul said in an email. “We unanimously drafted the RFP and are pleased that we received a responsive bid.”

If successful, the new contract will span from Aug. 3 to August of 2021.

Last spring, a group of concerned students joined forces with ASUC senators to author a bill condemning Coca-Cola’s business practices and urging the campus to reconsider the terms of its contract.

The student bill raised concerns about Coca-Cola’s labor, human rights and environmental track records in India and Guatemala as well as domestic health and sustainability practices.

Pepsi agreed to the minimum requirements outlined in the proposal, which include an annual $1.3 million sponsorship fee to be paid to campus stakeholders, product donations of $40,000, sustainability program support of $15,000 and marketing and promotion funds of $235,000.

“We were looking at the criteria and the amount of money we were receiving from the contract,” said former ASUC president Noah Stern. “Coke wasn’t willing to give us more money, improve their recycling program, so on all fronts Pepsi seemed to be a better fit.”

The contract’s stakeholders are composed of representatives from the four-unit campus beverage contract consortium — the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, the ASUC Auxiliary, Residential and Student Service Programs and the Recreational Sports Facility.

If passed, the contract will not only result in more revenue for members of the consortium, but Pepsi also seemed interested in recycling programs and working with students to meet the needs of the student body, Stern said.

“We’re going to see an open partner with Pepsi,” he added.

ASUC Cooperative Movement Senator Elliot Goldstein said there was a call from students for the contract to include environmental considerations and recycling programs. As a result, the proposal stated that the offer will be expected to address financial and operational support for recycling, waste reduction and minimization of plastic container use, recycled product use and promotional support.

While in previous contracts, certain sale goals had to be met in terms of volume, the new contract will not set any minimum sales for water bottles.

“It’s all part of the goal to remove bottled water, and Pepsi seemed more than willing to cooperate and support the recycling program,” Stern said.

Students at UC Berkeley also participated in an effort last spring to reduce plastic waste on campus. The “End the Sale of Bottled Water” initiative requested that the campus consider ending the sale of bottled water and increasing the number of working drinking fountains and hydration stations.

Not only will the new contract support sustainability on campus, but the agreement also contains “broader choices for students including healthier drink options, and will increase support to ASUC student groups through enhanced revenues over the next ten years to the ASUC,” Permaul said in the email.

Forming the proposal has been an ongoing collaborative process between members of the beverage consortium and the ASUC.

“Unlike our political leaders, the campus representatives and students worked out language that met the goals of a number of constituencies and needs, and produced a product that will serve the campus well over the next ten years,” Permaul said in the email.

Stern added that each of the members’ concerns were heard and that they weighed the needs of each of the  units.

“I think everyone walked away getting something they wanted,” he said.

The post New campus beverage contract with Pepsi is likely appeared first on The Daily Californian.

Stager, currently the financial services manager for the Auxiliary, will begin Sept. 1 and will replace Nadesan Permaul, who retired June 29.

Stager has served as the financial services manager for the Auxiliary since September 2007 and previously worked as an ASUC controller from 1994 to 1998.

Stager said there are plans to appoint a new permanent director by next January so that the new director would be involved as the Auxiliary continues its transition from Administration and Finance to the Division of Student Affairs.

According to Stager, when Poullard approached her last week asking if she would like to be the interim director of the Auxiliary, she said she would “be glad to help the ASUC.”

Stager said she believes she was appointed because of her extensive relationship with the UC Berkeley campus.
“Since it is such a short term, they wanted someone who was familiar with what is going on within the ASUC and ASUC Auxiliary,” she said.

According to ASUC President Vishalli Loomba, both she and Graduate Assembly President Bahar Navab were consulted in the decision to hire Stager as the interim director.

The recommendation came from Felicia Lee, chief of staff for the campus Office of Student Affairs, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Harry Le Grande and Poullard, Loomba said.

“They gave us the recommendation, and we both felt that her work in the Auxiliary and experience from student affairs would make her a great fit,” Loomba said.

ASUC Executive Vice President Christopher Alabastro said though he was not involved in the decision, he feels comfortable under Stager’s direction.

“In the past, I worked with Stager on some of the initiatives that I wanted to start,” Alabastro said. “I am pretty comfortable because she has been working with us, and her institutional knowledge makes her very qualified for the position.”

Though the ASUC Senate was not directly involved in Stager’s appointment, ASUC Senator-elect Shahryar Abbasi said he hopes that he and other ASUC senators will be included in the decision to hire the permanent director.

Loomba said the hiring process for the permanent director will involve a national search extending outside just university staff members. The hiring committee will include students, but the exact composition has yet to be decided, she said.

In the meantime, Stager will continue her position as the financial services manager and intends to receive directorial guidance from Permaul after he returns from his vacation in August, Stager said.

Stager will be assuming the interim director role when the Lower Sproul Plaza renovation project and the Auxiliary realignment are at the forefront of the agenda, she said.

“I’m looking forward to be the interim director — it should be a very interesting experience,” Stager said. “I am very appreciative to work for the ASUC during this transitionary time.”

The post ASUC Auxiliary financial services manager appointed interim director appeared first on The Daily Californian.

The lack of consultation and transparency goes against any precedent of good-faith communication between the administration and student leaders. We would have expected that if the administration were to carry out such a monumental change to the student government in a way that jeopardizes its autonomy, it would have thoroughly consulted student leaders and informed the student body of its reasoning. This could not have been further from what occurred. Not only did the administration not include student leaders in the decision-making process, but it has stonewalled the student leaders by not answering fundamental questions regarding the change.

Though we strive to understand multiple perspectives prior to endorsing a position, the reasoning behind the change is not even available for us to consider. For a change of this magnitude to be acceptable, the benefits would have to be substantial — but we do not even know the benefits because the administration has failed to articulate them.

The realignment is not the only substantial change about which the administration has been silent. Significant questions regarding the circumstances of ASUC Auxiliary Director Nadesan Permaul’s retirement two days before the realignment remain unanswered. For this to be the end to a long history of service to the ASUC by an official who has garnered significant respect among student leaders is disappointing and unfulfilling. For key administrators to remain quiet regarding his abrupt retirement is unacceptable.

Administrators have repeatedly dodged questions from our reporters as well as ASUC officials. Harry Le Grande, the vice chancellor for student affairs, is out of his office until Aug. 1, and Jonathan Poullard, the assistant vice chancellor for student affairs, had said he would be unavailable until this week. Their absence suggests a lack of care for the student body, which is absurd coming from the division of student affairs. We demand that they publicly respond in detail to the ASUC’s concerns. That is their job.

But the student government itself also has a role in bringing issues to the attention of the student body. After The Daily Californian first reported on a possible auxiliary change in September, our elected officials stood largely silent. Then-ASUC President Noah Stern should have brought more attention to the possibility of such a significant change. Current ASUC President Vishalli Loomba must be more vocal in spearheading the opposition to the realignment. She must succeed where her predecessor fell short, and she must start now.

We were also surprised by the resolution unanimously passed by the ASUC Senate and the letter signed by members of both the current and incoming senate classes. While we are impressed that senators crossed party-lines for the good of the student body, we feel that this was an explosion of anger that should have been let out earlier in the process, not the day before the realignment. Students have a right to know how their elected officials feel about major campus issues.

This clash comes at a time when a united campus message is needed more than ever due to dwindling state support for higher education. The relationship between the administration and the ASUC is obviously tarnished and the onus is on the administration to make amends; no one benefits if these two groups are at odds.

We endorse, line-by-line, both the letter and the resolution and demand that the administration adhere to their provisions. The auxiliary must be moved back to the Office of Administration and Finance, and the realignment must be thoroughly and properly debated and justified — as it should have been in the first place. We demand that administrators answer all questions regarding the oversight change and that they seek student input while ensuring full transparency. And, given the magnitude of this conflict, we call on Chancellor Robert Birgeneau to directly involve himself in negotiations going forward.

We stand side-by-side with the ASUC on this issue and hope our elected officials take all actions necessary to reverse the realignment. Moving forward, they should mobilize students and explain to them the complicated issues at hand and the importance of standing up for the autonomy of their student government. We cannot allow complacency to take hold. Let this be their call: Take back the ASUC.

The post Take back the ASUC appeared first on The Daily Californian.