University of California Berkeley - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

Page 23 text:

ASUC Senate Returns To Power The ASUC underwent a major reorganization this year and in so doing regained much of the power it lost two years ago. It came in the form of an agreement signed by the Administration and the ASUC Senate, which returned to the Senate the power to make final budgetary decisions regarding ASUC activities. Control of student fees allocated to the ASUC was taken out of the hands of the Senate by Chancellor Roger Heyns in the fall of 1967, and put under the direction of a newly created board, the Union Program and Facilities Board (UPFB). Among the reasons for the Chancellor ' s action was the Senate ' s move to sharply cut back funds for some traditional activities, namely the Cal Band, and the decision to allow graduate stu- dents to vote in student elections. The latter was con- sidered by the Administration to be a violation of the ASUC constitution and Regental policies. Subsequently, the constitution was revised to enable all students to vote. The new budgetary policies outlined in the agree- ment provide that a group ' s budget may not be reduced by more than one-third the first year, one-third the next year, and one-third the third year. This means that a group would not be cut out completely in one year, but rather would be phased out over a three year period. Under the agreement, two new boards, an Activities Commission, and an Operations Commission, were created to oversee the budgets of various groups and make recommendations to the Senate. The Activities Commission consists of representatives from ASUC activities, three Senators, an ASUC Vice- President, and the ASUC Executive Director. They will review the budget of all ASUC activities, and recom- mend to the Senate a final budget. The Operations Commision is responsible for ASUC facilities, operations, and personnel. It is composed of faculty, students, employees, and an administrator. The agreement did, however, carefully avoid defin- ing the exact relationship between the ASUC and the Administration. While containing a statement that acknowledges that the power of the ASUC is delegated to the Senate by the Chancellor and the Regents, it also states that the ASUC Senate maintains that it is sub- stantially an autonomous organization with the right to manage its own affairs, free from external interfer- ence. What all this will mean to the ordinary student is hopefully a more responsive and responsible approach to the funding of student groups and activities. All of these plans, however, depend upon an increase in stu- dent participation, which in turn depends on the ASUC proving to the student body that the days of sandbox politics are over. 21