ASUCLA Board of Directors recap – Feb. 27

UCLA Dining will double its daily food production for athletes housed on campus for the 2028 Olympics, UCLA administrators announced at the Associated Students UCLA Board of Directors’ Feb. 27 meeting.

The board, composed of a student majority, has financial oversight over ASUCLA entities, including the Undergraduate Students Association Council, the Graduate Students Association and the ASUCLA Communications Board – which oversees UCLA Student Media. ASUCLA also has responsibility for the UCLA Store, on-campus restaurants and some UCLA trademarks. Board meetings are open to the public and normally held in Kerckhoff Hall.

Public comment:

• There was no public comment at the meeting.

Executive director/CEO remarks:

• Pouria Abbassi, ASUCLA’s chief executive officer and executive director, introduced Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael Beck, who provided an overview of UCLA’s planning efforts in preparation of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. UCLA’s campus will serve as the Olympic and Paralympic Village.

• Beck said UCLA will use nearly all residential buildings on the Hill and portions of South Campus to accommodate athletes during the Olympics.

• He added that campus dining operations will need to expand significantly to meet demand, increasing from about 33,000 meals per day to 45,000 or more meals daily during the games. Beck said because of athletes’ higher caloric demand and their need for 24-hour dining, the 45,000 meals will require the same amount of work that it takes to produce 60,000 meals for UCLA students – double the university’s current daily production.

• Beck said approximately 100 administrators and staff members are currently involved in Olympic planning across multiple working groups to ensure a balance between hosting the games and athletes alongside the university’s normal summer operations. He added that the Olympics will need student and faculty volunteers from UCLA.

Committee reports:

• Merhawi Tesfai, a graduate representative, said the executive committee is planning the board’s mid-year retreat and upcoming orientation. The committee also reviewed updates on the 2026-27 budget process, a letter to the chancellor and plans for this year’s staff recognition awards, he added.

• Daniela Cortez Bravo, a graduate representative, said the services committee planned multiple February events – including a therapy dog event, trivia nights and a ballroom roller-skating event. She added that the UCLA Store recently transitioned its food service purchasing systems to Toast, a restaurant management software, to improve operations and inventory tracking. Bravo also said the committee began discussions about the future of the ASUCLA post office, but did not provide additional information about its state.

• David Martinez, a graduate representative, said the ad-hoc committee revised the language of its Bruin Life and Undergraduate Experience and Graduate Opportunities and Leadership Development fee referendum proposals. BLUE – a $27 undergraduate student quarterly fee – would provide additional funding for ASUCLA programming such as increasing student workers’ pay by $1 an hour, allocating greater funding to identity-based student media publications and creating a student catering fund. GOLD – a $13 quarterly graduate student fee – would help fund graduate student conference travel expenses, research publications and professional development opportunities, according to an ASUCLA presentation from Feb. 19, 2025. Martinez did not provide more detail regarding the contents of either referendum at the meeting. BLUE was passed by the Undergraduate Students Association Council at its Feb. 24 meeting. It will appear on USAC’s ballot in the spring if it receives approval from the UC Office of the President and Chancellor Julio Frenk. Martinez said he presented the GOLD referendum at a recent Graduate Students Association forum, but there were not enough officers present to vote on the referendum to place it on GSA’s Spring ballot. The committee will consider the referendums at the next GSA meeting Thursday.

• Finance committee representatives were not present to deliver a report.

Executive directors report:

• Abbassi said ASUCLA is planning upcoming spring admissions events, including Bruin Day and Transfer Day.

• He added that ASUCLA’s social media and blog platforms have seen strong engagement, particularly by highlighting student employees through “day in the life” videos. Abbassi said the marketing team is also developing a video project to showcase the impact of ASUCLA services on campus life.

• Abbassi said ASUCLA received a $10,000 grant to support its reusable container program. The union also submitted a request for $85,000 from the Parsons Foundation to help fund “employee accommodation.”

• He added that the UCLA Store has processed nearly 200,000 CalFresh transactions since launching the program in August 2022 and that ASUCLA is expanding its food rewards program, which allows students to earn points and receive discounts when they make purchases at on-campus dining locations. ASUCLA also secured a new licensing partnership in Brazil to expand UCLA’s presence in South America.

• Abbassi said the organization is continuing to work on its 2026-27 budget.

Financial Statements (Abbassi/Baker):

• Abbassi said ASUCLA reported $5.9 million in gross income for January, which was below projections but higher than December totals. He added that the organization posted $180,000 in net income for the month.

• Abbassi said ASUCLA continues to face revenue challenges, including reduced CalFresh transactions earlier in the year in November during the federal government shutdown. He added that the elimination of meal swipes at ASUCLA markets have cost ASUCLA an estimated $1.8 million.

• ASUCLA Finance Director Donna Baker said the organization’s cash and cash equivalents totaled $14.1 million at the end of January. She added that ASUCLA is maintaining a surplus above its required board reserve and inventory turnover remains strong compared to industry standards.

• The board approved the fiscal year 2024-25 audited financial statements for student-run enterprises, including the Undergraduate Students Association Council, Graduate Students Association and ASUCLA Communications Board, the Daily Bruin’s publisher. The board also approved budget assumptions for the 2026-27 fiscal year.