The 'Vine Fall '10 Edition
In This Issue: Behind the Shock and Awe, Shocktoberfest!
Meet the new Presidents Office!
LETTERS FROM THE EDITORS Communication is the basis of all good relationships. When communication fails, everything fails. In the past, ASUCI and the students haven't always had the best relationship--if any at all. That's all going to change, starting now. So let's get back to the basics, Meeting People 101:
"Hi, my name is ASUCI, what's yours? Is that so? That's fantastic; we should definitely meet more often! Did you know that the only reason I exist is to serve you, the UCI student?" Like it or not, a sliver of our tuition funds the operations of ASUCI. Rest assured, we're not wasting your money here, but we're doing everything in our power to create opportunities that you can take advantage of. With events like Shocktoberfest, Movie Nights and Comedy Nights, we try to put out fun events that you and your friends can go to. It's not just about concerts or shows; we have an academic side as well, with programs like Visions where you learn to become a leader and the Anteater Mentorship Program where noob-eaters get schooled by the pro-eaters. You can show up for special guest speakers and get to know our professors through the Professor Luncheons (the food is FREE). ASUCI has its hands on every cookie jar you can think of on campus. Ever wonder about who runs the shuttles? Here’s a hint: it’s us. You think the Vendor Fair was just an impromptu invasion of vendors? No, of course not, it was organized by yours truly. Need to squeeze your roommate for this month's rent? Consult a lawyer at our Legal Clinic, and get what's yours--legally. It's a waste if you, the student, don't take advantage of all the services we offer. With our Student Programming Board and TGIF, there are tens of thousands of dollars waiting to be used. Have a great idea? You want to throw a campus wide jousting competition? Then why not let it fly? We are the soil that allows creativity to grow. Don't go to school day in and day out thinking that UCI is a boring place, it is what you make it. If you have the guts, tenacity, and drive, we'll give you all you need to make your awesome blossom-because anteaters aren't any less than amazing.
You're probably thinking, "Why didn't anybody tell me about this?" For that, I apologize. We just weren't trying hard enough. Even though we routinely send e-mails to all the students on campus (Anteater Weekly), much of that information is presented in the dullest format possible (no offense to the person who actually puts that e-mail together). Even I set my inbox to automatically detect it as Spam, and I'm a part of ASUCI.
That's why this year; we're making a concerted effort to push the word out there. We're going to become an octopus, sticking our tentacles into all the Housing, from Mesa to VDC. We'll shove our tendrils into the Greek Community and all the clubs, and get them excited about the opportunities we could share together. Together, we can make some truly amazing things.
My sincerest hope is that the 'Vine can capture your attention for just one brief moment, just long enough to let you know that ASUCI is working hard to give you the best college experience possible. You can hold us to that word, and if we're not doing our best, feel free to riot outside our offices (but please don't break anything, even if it was paid for by you guys). So let's start over, a fresh start, a new lease on our relationship, and make this year, the best one possible.
Thanh T. Le
Editor-in-Cheif
Here it is; all the highlights and important stuff anyone would want to know about ASUCI. It's the first issue of The 'Vine for the year and it’s only going to get better from here. In this issue, we’ll take you through the basics. Elections were on November 2nd (in case you didn't know) and ASUCI has worked extremely hard to register all students to vote. All their hard work is outlined in this issue. We’ll also introduce the first ever speaker pro temp for legislative council. We have the story behind Shoctoberfest, and you’ll find out how much work goes into making such a highly anticipated event.
Finally and most importantly, ASUCI’s biggest goal for this year is made transparent, and it concerns none other than you—the UCI student. Flip through the fun facts, upcoming events, and everything in between to stay fully informed and most importantly, involved!
Annum Khan
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Assistant Editor
UCI Prestige ~ UCI now holds the record for the world's biggest dodgeball game ever played.
~ UCI was ranked the 6th greenest campus in the country by the Sierra Club. ~ 'US News & World Report' ranks UCI among top 50 U.S. universities. It places 41st in the overall category and 11th among public universities in the 2011 report. We're heading on up! ~ 'Times Higher Education' ranks UCI among world's top 50 universities. The campus is 49th in the British magazine's newly revamped rankings for 2010-11. It earned high marks for its research influence and international mix of staff and students.
President's Address
Getting to the Polls By Angela Hui
Registering to vote is, arguably, a rite of passage in college; it’s part of becoming an independent adult who actually—or seemingly—cares about the real world. Most college freshmen are eighteen, or will be, by the time election season rolls in. They will actually have the power to make a difference with a vote, but how many of these young crazy kids actually take the initiative to register themselves?
Ever since school began, a part of ASUCI’s EVP office had been busy preparing for this year’s state elections. It is their job to make their fellow students more aware of how important and easy registering to vote is.
Happy Fall, Anteaters!
I hope that all of you have been having fun and productive fall quarters, and I especially hope you’ve gotten the chance to participate in some of the exciting events that ASUCI has provided!
So far we’ve broken the world record for the biggest dodgeball tournament, our Welcome Week has had the best turnout in decades, we’ve had over 1800 anteaters register to vote, established the first Speaker Pro Tempore position in Legislative Council, had an enlightening event featuring a progressive sex education speaker, and hosted a jam-packed basketball rally and other thrilling activities. Our fifth annual Shocktoberfest was a huge success, with students getting to dougie with Cali Swag District and letting it rock with Kevin Rudolf into the wee hours of the night. We also held the coolest Midnight Magic ever, featuring basketball coach Russ Turner slam-dunking in front of a crowd of adoring fans. A national sports blog even quoted UCI’s Midnight Magic as “bringing the most heat when it comes to kicking off their college basketball season.” Fall quarter is off to an electrifying start, and you can only expect more sparks to fly. Some of the events you can look forward to in the near future include the vendor fair, comedy nights, movie nights and fall elections! Be sure to come out, participate, and let your voice be heard!
I’d like to take the opportunity here to outline some of ASUCI’s goals to make this upcoming year, and others after it, better than ever. Our major focuses this year are communication between the student government and the student body, student involvement in all of the great programs and activities that are available around campus, and advocacy for student rights and concerns. It is our job to work tirelessly for you, the student body, but we can’t do it without your help, so please get involved and give us your feedback!
“It’s a weird idea to be able to speak your mind, and it’s weird that people aren’t taking advantage of it,” said Joshua Wang, a member of the EVP team. “Choosing someone in office affects us—college can be more affordable, so it really makes a big difference.” “Why waste your opportunity by not voting?” Rachel Tong, another EVP office member, chimed in.
With clipboards packed with voter registration forms in hand, the EVP team enabled students to register on the spot. The process was pain-free, quick, and simple; the required sections were pre-circled and the forms were mailed in for them. They were also everywhere: stationed on Ring Road, in the halls of the Middle Earth, Mesa Court, and Arroyo Vista housing complexes, and at school events like the Anteater Involvement Fair during Welcome Week and Shocktoberfest up until the 18th of October, the last day to register to vote in the November elections.
In the end, the EVP team succeeded in getting more than 1,800 students to register or re-register. In addition to the number of already registered UCI students, these results would have certainly contributed to the California’s state elections on the 2nd of November. To prepare for the elections, a number of debates and events were held on campus to inform and educate students. Two debates, held in affiliation with UCI Vote!, Young Americans for Liberty, College Republicans, and College Democrats, attracted a successful turnout of students and non-students alike. The debates, between the 48th Congressional District candidates Libertarian Mike Binkley and Democrat Beth Krom on the 13th of October, and between 70th Assembly District candidates Libertarian
Say Hello to the Pro...Tempore By Thanh T. Le Say hello to Vikram Nayudu, the new speaker pro tempore for legislative council, which has never before existed in the history of ASUCI. As such, the creation of the position is historical, and it was made with the hopes that ASUCI could work better to gether.
Good luck with the rest of the quarter and I look forward to seeing all of you around campus these next few weeks. Rip ‘em, Eaters! Warmly,
Sitara Nayudu President Associated Students University of California, Irvine president@asuci.uci.edu | 949 824-2415
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STUDENT SERVICES By Thanh T. Le
ASUCI OFFICE HIGHLIGHT
It was a dreary day. A dull backdrop to what should otherwise be the most festive day of the month--Shoctoberfest. Yet, the sponsored booths, host to a medley of carnival-style games and servings of free food (the most notable of which: fish tacos and ice cream) were much too attractive for students to just ignore, and massive crowds were formed. Peter the Anteater trolled the grounds for photo ops, willing adventurers scaled the rock wall from the US army, and clubs pushed their foodstuffs to wanderers. The makeshift stage smack dab in the middle of Mesa Road cranked out appropriate background music—thumping and bumping beats to prepare the students for the night's festivities.
The outdoor gaiety was only a precursor to the main events in the Bren. Midnight Magic, the spirit rally for our sports teams, with its assortment of cheer, dance routines by Kaba Modern, soaring slam dunks, and threepointers, managed to energize the crowd for a rousing performance by Cali Swag District. Kevin Rudolf played his hip-hop/rock fusion, letting it rock straight into Aftershock, a roadblock party that went into the wee hours of the night. Though the event lasted a grand total of about nine hours, most students don’t realize how much work it takes to put together an event of this magnitude.
SHOCKTOBERFEST 2010 Shocktoberfest is just one day out of the academic school year, but it is an important one to the people in Student Services, an office of ASUCI. The fees we pay to UCI aren't solely appropriated for our education (the recently constructed Art and Social Science buildings could certainly attest to that), but a portion of it is also set aside for our entertainment and amusement. Student Services is the department of ASUCI that is responsible for much—if not—all student programming on campus. They pull the strings behind everything from Movie Nights to Comedy Nights, and because it’s paid for in the tuition of the students, the events are free to attend at no extra cost. Planning for one of their biggest events, Shocktoberfest, starts right when the school year ends.
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When summer begins, that’s when its time for students to pack up and go home, but for ASUCI, it’s only the start. Planning usually involves people sitting around and talking to each other—no, seriously, that's what planning is. To put something as expansive as Shoctoberfest together, even for just one day, requires immense cooperation from different groups. While ASUCI plays a large part in it, planning involves the help of other departments like UCI Dining, Athletics, the Bookstore, the Bren, Alumni Association, Dean of Students, and from these contacts comes sponsors like AT&T, Wahoo’s, Rockstar, and AMP—and that’s not even mentioning the clubs on UCI that helped out. ASUCI is just one piece among many.
Special Thanks To: Grace Poon Ben Teller Mark Deppe and Francisco Correa
We account for budget, and we account for scheduling; it should all be yellow brick roads from here on out right? Unfortunately, trying to get a hold of an artist is like sending desperate Facebook messages to your boy/girl friend who recently changed their status from "In a relationship" to "Single." It normally takes two weeks to go from hopeful to dejected. Starting from the first day of the week, Monday, we send out a query for interest, which doesn't get a reply until Wednesday. They express interest, and want us to draw up a contract for them by Friday. It gets sent, and as we all know, the world stops spinning on the weekends. On Monday, we send out another query, which they don't answer until Wednesday again. Finally, after every flaming hoop we jump through, it was all for naught for the answer at the end of the road is "we aren't interested." When the stars align and you actually find someone, you book it.
The people in Student Services are of a peculiar sort. Endlessly enthused, full of life and vigor, the Student Services interns are the consummate vehicle of school pride. It is this frame of mind that allows them to happily complete mundane tasks such as putting up fliers, or embarrass themselves by participating in flash mobs.
Drawing feedback from the Shoctoberfest Facebook Page, the fine folks at Student Services examined each and every artist suggestion that was posted, kicking off an arduous journey of hope, rejection, and finally triumph. Starting from a list of hundreds upon hundreds of suggested artists (did I mention hundreds?); the team had to narrow the list down in order to meet necessary constraints. The reason you don't see big-name artists is because of this thing called a budget, a concept that is, no doubt, completely foreign to some. Unless you feel like paying higher fees, what you see is what you get. The budget pares down the list of potential suitors considerably, but now you also have to account for scheduling conflicts. Fall is a popular time for tours, which makes it even more expensive to book an artist. You can't very well fly somebody in on the day if they're touring on the East Coast. These artists have lives, and they probably have better things to do than play fiddle to college students. Even when given such limited resources, Student Services try their hardest to get the best bang for their buck.
Plain as day during the actual event, these proud yellow shirts, the Student Services “Dream Team,� have worked tirelessly. From standing out at 6AM to distribute wristbands to cleaning up garbage well past midnight (until 2:00AM), there is no shortage of work for these poor fools. Though their tasks trying, one can't help but admire their bonds and camaraderie with each other. As Aftershock relentlessly pulsated through the night, deep in the bowels of the Bren, in the headquarters of Student Services, yellow shirts sang classics from the Backstreet Boys and Marvin Gaye. It was cause for celebration, because the event proceeded smoothly without any major problems. They're a family united to serve one master: You--the UCI student. It's easy to forget, especially on days when every other person on Ring Road is passing out a flier, that ASUCI is an organization run by the students, for the students.
Shocktoberfest has come and gone. For most students, the event has faded entirely from their mind, recalled as nothing more than a fuzzy memory, a faraway dream maybe. For those of us in ASUCI, the dream is still alive. Like all visionaries, we at ASUCI want to dream bigger and better for next year. We know that things could be improved, so if you got any suggestions, make sure to talk to us!
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Office of the President Communications Highlight
Defining What An Anteater Really Is
By Annum Khan
For anyone familiar with anteaters (which, of course, we all should be), they would know that anteaters are solitary animals. They do their thing but they do it alone, communicating with no one.
ASUCI wants to change that this year by reaching out to fellow anteaters and lead them to another level that will redefine what an anteater really is. It’s easy to forget that ASUCI is an organization run by the students for the students, and what better way to work for the student body then to tell them what ASUCI is all about?
Many may not know what occurs behind the inconspicuous double doors nestled in the side of the student center, and that’s why ASUCI decided to put all their efforts in raising awareness about what they actually do. Surely, beyond those ordinary doors is an office hard at work on everything great about UCI.
Connecting with the students and making the office transparent is the biggest goal for the organization this year, so a strategy to communicate effectively with the student body is crucial. According to Joy Ding, Communications Director under the Office of the President, the first step in getting students involved with ASUCI is to inform them about what is happening. Once students discover the exciting aspects of ASUCI, interest will follow in the tasks student government takes on.
"A lot of students want to get involved, but just don't know how," says Ding. She is not alone in this task. Along with Public Relations Commissioner Marisha Pareek, and their lovely interns, the task of raising awareness about ASUCI is unprecedented.
According to Pareek, more transparency and accessibility along with school spirit and camaraderie will set the tone for the future of ASUCI. Ding echoes these sentiments, explaining that campus-wide communication is crucial to redeem the reputation that ASUCI may have lost a few years back. If simply publicizing the workings of student government can help students understand the positive purpose of ASUCI, then clearly communication is key. It is a widely agreed upon belief that passion feeds success and it is this belief that defines the ASUCI staff for this year. With a passionate team set on communicating, a new attribute can soon replace the old; the solitary anteater will no longer be alone, but connected with all other anteaters. All it takes is some reaching out.
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Name: Samantha Bondi
Name: Eric Tang
Francisco Correa
Name: Yue (Joy) Ding
Chief of Staff
Student Programming Funding Board Commissioner
Visual Media Commissioner
Communications Director
Age: 21
Year: 4th
I have never been one to stand on the sidelines and watch, hoping for change to occur on its own. I strive to make change happen myself.
Age: 21
Year: 4th
My goal is for every student to feel represented and important in the eyes of ASUCI.
Age: 20
Year: 3rd
I want to make UCI one of those campuses that everyone knows about and for UCI alumni to be proud of their school.
Age: 20
Year: 3rd
Having been in ASUCI for three years now, I've come to realize my capability to positively impact the lives of students at UCI.
Name: Marisha Pareek
Name: Faisal Ansari
Name: Patrick Manh Le
Christopher Pham
Public Relations Commissioner
Campus Liaison – Housing
Campus Liaison – Housing
Campus Liaison – Transfer Students
Age: 20
Year: 3rd
I hope to improve the quality and standard of correspondence and communication both within the office and in dealings with other organizations.
Age: 19
Year: 2nd
ASUCI is great because it opens doors to so many different opportunities, numerous leadership positions, countless experiences, and vast networking possibilities.
Age: 20
Year: 3rd
Patrick believes in the power of people and the power of ice-cream. Wherever there is ice-cream, there is unmatched motivation and excellent teamwork.
Age: 20
Year: 3rd
I joined ASUCI because I had a vision that all it takes is just one more leader to make things better. I hope and strive to be that leader.
Name: Geo del Carmen
Name: Sam Shaw
Name: Teresa Lou
Borna Mohabbatizadeh
Campus Liaison - Greek Life
Campus Advocate
Campus Advocate
Campus Advocate
Age: 22
Year: All-mighty 5th
I'm pretty much a go-getter when it comes to making things happen; sitting around is definitely not my personality.
Age: 19
Year: 2nd
I believe anything can happen if an individual is truly determined and passionate about making change.
Age: 19
Year: 2nd
I want to connect with the student body and spread Anteater spirit and awareness.
Age: 21
Year: 4th
I joined ASUCI to become a part of real change on campus, and hope to instill a greater sense of school spirit and community.
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calendar of events
Mondays at 9 Comedy Nights Tuesdays at 5 Legislative Council Meetings Wednesdays at 12 Noontune Thursdays at 7 Movie Nights Mountains of Money: TGIF By Alexis Kim There is a small mountain of cash just primed for the taking here at UC Irvine. Students are allowed to walk up to this mountain with a shovel and just start piling it into their backpacks. So vast is this mountain that there are enough twenty dollar bills in fat chubby stacks to easily fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool. It’s all right here—a small mountain of cash sitting right under your nose, staring at you straight in the eyes, and yet you walk right on by without even a passing glance. This mountain of cash may sound like the whimsical nothings of one incredibly wishful student, but the fact is, it actually exists— not literally and not without its strings, but it is here. It’s called TGIF, The Green Initiative Fund. TGIF is a grant-making fund for sustainability projects on UC Irvine's campus. About $110,000 per academic year is available for grants; any undergraduate students, organizations, or collaborations between organizations are eligible to submit project proposals. Projects are selected for funding by an annually appointed Grant Making Committee consisting of voting members comprised of five undergraduate representatives and nonvoting faculty and
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staff. This year there is over $200,000 available to students. With it, you can make a huge difference and leave an incredible legacy here at UCI. The resources are here for you. You make the plan, and TGIF will give you the money to make it happen.
Two years ago in the spring of 2009, the undergraduates of UCI voted to increase quarterly tuition fees by $3.50 to create a grant that empowers students to make the campus more sustainable. Now, thanks to students like you, TGIF was able to fund a free screening of a documentary on the perils of bottled water, establish a laptop recycling program, start a sustainable education garden on campus, and install water saving devices in a Mesa Court dorm. All of these projects were initiated by your fellow students. It’s money from the students, for the students.
So what are you waiting for? Get out your shovels and start digging into this mountain. It’s yours!
Apply now!
For applications and more information: http://www.asuci.uci.edu/tgif/index.php Applications due week 7.
...continued from page 3 Debbie Tharp, Democrat Melissa Fox, and Republican Don Wagner on the 27th of October, were both aired on COX cable television. The EVP office also collaborated with Dreams at UCI, Umbrella Council, and the Orange County Dream Team to put on the “Broken Dreams: A Pursuit for Social Justice” Film Festival, which shed light on the Dream Act about undocumented workers. On voting day, AMP radio revved up the excitement for the elections. The students of the EVP office are full of knowledge themselves, and are readily available to help and inform with non-partisan answers. Right after the end of voter registration, they tabled on Ring Road to promote “Get Out the Vote” by educating students on the importance of voting and handing out voting guides with information about each candidate. An open forum is in the works for all UCI students who have questions about voting or the elections. Registering to vote, and actually voting, are essential parts of education—and the EVP office wants UCI students to know that, as shown by their hard work and planning. “If we elect someone who is more friendly, who stands for what students believe in, we can get a lot more,” said the executive vice president, Andres Gonzalez. The student body’s power to select a candidate, who believes in the importance of education, will be significant for the future of UCI.
STAFF ROLL Editors: Thanh T. Le Annum Khan Contributors: Chris Pham Angela Hui Sitara Nayudu Alexis Kim
Got something to say?
We at ASUCI are always listening. We'd like to hear what you think about anything and everything. Send e-mails to: tle6@uci.edu khanaf@uci.edu