New Staff, Initiatives, and Programs
New Career Staff
Associated Students welcomed two new career staff members onboard this year.
Marta Ulveas
Marta Ulveas is the new Assistant Director for Independent Media, which includes the campus radio stations KCSB FM 91.9 and KJUC, The Bottom Line, and the A.S. Media Center.
Lisa Corcos
Lisa Corcos is the new Assistant Director for Business Services and will oversee operations of the Cashiers and Ticket Office, Publications, Recycling, the Foodbank, and the Bike Shop.
Career Staff Departures
Scott Bull
This year saw the departure of long time Environmental Programs Coordinator Scott Bull.
Scott devoted countless hours to students working to protect the environment and showing them how to work as professional advocates. This included work with the Environmental Affairs Board, Coastal Fund, and the Bike Committee. Students working in each of these groups helped guide the University and the surrounding community to embrace sustainable practices, restore native habitat, and continually improve campus infrastructure like bike paths and the recently completed Campus Point stairs. Many of these projects required students to work directly with campus administrators and local agencies, in some cases over several years. Working through the Coastal Fund students also gained insights into the workings of funding agencies and foundations by funding significant research projects that often included employing paid student interns. The lessons Scott taught students are invaluable and will continue to serve them throughout their lives. It’s a testament to his dedication that the programs he oversaw continued to be effectively run by students in his absence. We wish him the all the best in his future endeavors!
David Salmon
This year also saw the departure of Bike Shop Coordinator David Salmon.
David oversaw the day-to-day operation of the shop. In that capacity David was a mentor to both student employees of the shop and anyone who used the shop’s resources to learn more about cycling and bicycle maintenance. We wish him well in his future endeavors.
Cerita Bickelmann
Shortly after the first of the year Financial Literacy Project Coordinator Cerita Bickelmann also moved on to a new position as a Work Study Manager for the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. We wish her all the best as she continues her work supporting UCSB students. Cerita had this to say about here time at A.S., “There truly is no place like AS. The students passion, drive, and laughter was my fuel day in and day out. Thanks for the memories!”
Freddie Mercer
AS Ticket Office Manager Freddie Mercer left campus for a similar position at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Freddie spent the last year plus working to implement a campus-wide ticketing system run by A.S. The project is now ready to roll out with all campus departments on board with the exception of Arts & Lectures. We wish Freddie and his family all the best in their future endeavors!
Bike Committee
Speaking of cycling, the former Bicycle Improvements Keep Everyone Safe (BIKES) committee has a new name. It’s now simply the Bike Committee or Bike Comm. Check them out in Flashback by clicking here or go to the Bike Committee website by clicking here.
A.S. Information Agency
This year the Associated Students Information Agency was added to the roster of A.S. committees. As Senate fellows, members will help the Senate by researching topics that are necessary for the Senate to write effective legislation. More Flashback details, click here.
Book Exchange
A.S. welcomed 2013 with a new book exchange. The Textbook Marketplace
was inaugurated on the A.S. Annex lawn on January 9, 2013. Organized by the A.S. Office of the President and Academic Affairs Board, the marketplace was a one day event where students could buy and sell their used textbooks directly to each other. The goal is to provide an alternative to sky high text book prices and cut out the middle man—textbook resale companies and the Bookstore—that pay relatively little for used titles and then still sell them at prices that are a challenge to many students on a budget, who don’t want to be burdened with excessive student loan debt when they leave the university.
The exchange is an example of students taking charge of a situation and building a program to respond to an identified need. The goal is for the marketplace to take place quarterly and become part of the beginning-of-quarter routine for students.
The Book Exchange returned at the beginning of Spring quarter with more books and a more central location in front of the UCen. Time will tell how successful the service is, but some students certainly benefited from fairer pricing.
Book Bank
Spring Quarter saw the grand opening of the A.S. Book Bank brought to the campus by the Student Initiated Recruitment and Retention Committee (SIRRC)!
Campus Wide Ticket Sales
The A.S. Cashiers & Ticket Office began offering campus-wide ticketing services this year.
Working collaboratively for over a year, departments across campus and A.S. developed a system that allows students and the general public to purchase tickets at a central location, the A.S. Cashiers & Ticket Office, for events across campus, including sports events. The service is a real benefit to students and the campus community, since in the past departments often sold tickets to their own events resulting in confusion as to where tickets are available and the necessity for departments to devote staff time to the necessary accounting.
IV Co-op “We Own It” Campaign
The Office of the External Vice President for Local Affairs worked to support the IV Food Co-op’s successful fund drive to buy their building. The exact nature of the financial relationship between the Co-op and A.S. is still being worked out at the time of this writing.
The Co-op was founded in 1972, with support from UCSB students. It’s one of several local legacies of this generation of student community activists. Today it continues to provide students with food alternatives that are healthy, sustainable, locally grown and tasty. It’s one of the gems of the IV community.
Recycling Moves to New Location
A.S. Recycling got new digs this year. After working out of a portable trailer for 4.5 years, AS Recycling’s lease ran out and the group moved its office space into Building 437 in the Facilities yard. While the new location is a bit smaller, it is definitely a lot nicer and allows students to work more closely with the other Facilities staff on campus waste management issues. Most importantly, Recycling still has the same easy access to its outdoor center of operations, the Eucalyptus Grove, so students can still keep all of UCSB’s waste sorted and keep it out of the landfill!
