Taken by Lina Butt

At the ASUCR Senate meeting on Oct. 15, senators declared the temporary suspension of a Legislative Review Committee bylaw, as well as the passing of two key funding bylaws. President Liam Dow, along with the rest of the senate, motioned to endorse Proposition 30, on the grounds that failure to pass on Nov. 6 will lead to a 20.2 percent tuition hike and a $375 million cut. As part of a month-long initiative to increase student voter registration, a series of election-related events have been held on campus. During the public forum period, Dean of Students Susan Allen Ortega announced that the student regents will visit UCR on Nov. 8 as part of a system-wide tour.

With the November elections less than two weeks away, ASUCR continued to enact major efforts to raise student awareness about voter registration. Senators have promoted the current election season through events such as “Meet the Candidates,” “Meet the Senators” and “Final Chance.” “Rock the Vote” banners have also been avidly displayed on ASUCR’s website, with links to ballot initiatives and online registration.

Prominent changes included a motion by President Liam Dow to temporarily suspend Chapter 13, section one, item e, from the ASUCR bylaws. This section states that, “all legislation must be reviewed and edited by the Legislative Review Committee (LRC) before being moved to the Senate to be voted on.” The bylaw was suspended due to desires to expedite public endorsement of Prop 30. The suspension motion was successful during the second round of senatorial votes, through a two-thirds majority. President Dow also requested an additional motion to pass a Prop 30 resolution to inform the public, which also passed with bipartisan support.

Meeting Highlights

  • Executive Vice President Armando Saldana delivered a proposal to the Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) to reinstate the trolley system. Approval is unlikely until 2013-2014, due to recent budget cuts. According to the UCR Commuter Programs, the trolley services were halted back in 2011 in order to keep free student bus passes to the Riverside Transit Agency (RTA).
  • In collaborations with the Green Campus Action Plan (GCAP), Center for Environment Research and Technology (CE-CERT) and the Bourns College of Engineering (BCOE), the installation of a new “Mobile Solar Power Generator” has become a reality. Fueled by the sun and wind, the generator is a “student-thought and student-built” project. Future plans include powering staged concerts and events on campus.
  • UCR libraries are now open longer during finals’ week through the efforts of ASUCR senators. Orbach Library will be open for 24 hours, while Rivera until two a.m. These extended times apply to the Friday prior to finals’ week until the following Wednesday.


Upcoming Events
Oct 23: Before the Ballot Political Speaker Series: Health Care
Oct. 24: Chancellor’s Town Hall meeting
Oct. 25: ASUCR senate meeting
Oct. 30: Before the Ballot Political Speaker Series: Gay Marriage
Nov. 8: UC student regents’ fall tour
Nov. 9-11: The 24th Annual Students of Color Conference