ASUCLA Board of Directors recap – Oct. 30

ASUCLA discussed plans for implementing Amazon’s checkout-free shopping and creating a permanent space for students with disabilities at an Oct. 30 Board of Directors 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 operates 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 executive director and chief executive officer, welcomed new board member Sue Santon, the associate vice chancellor for capital programs and finance. Santon said her work with ASUCLA started in 1992, when she helped implement seismic improvements at Ackerman Union and Kerckhoff Hall and remodeled the UCLA Store.
• Abbassi said an Apple program manager recognized the UCLA Store’s Instagram account as a model for other campus stores nationwide.
• Jessica Alexander, the Student Union programs division manager at ASUCLA, introduced Leah Nelson, a third-year political science and African American studies student and an ASUCLA lead building manager. Nelson said she began working in event services during her first year before becoming a building manager.

Committee reports:

• David Martinez, a graduate student representative on the services committee, said ASUCLA is reviewing how it could provide food services, retail and event spaces for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games. Martinez said participation in Bruin One Access – which provides undergraduate students with required course materials for a flat quarterly fee – has increased since last year. He added that ASUCLA is considering a prospective tenant for Kerckhoff Hall Room 160, and the committee reviewed concerns about how ASUCLA’s reusable food container program charges customers who do not return containers. Martinez did not identify the prospective tenant in the meeting. Stripe – a payment-processing company – handles the payment information, and ASUCLA does not store customers’ card details, he added. Martinez said the services committee plans to review submissions for a T-shirt design contest at its next meeting.
• Kyra Solis, a graduate representative on the ASUCLA Board of Directors and chair of its finance committee, said the Communications Board ended the month with an extra $20,000 in its budget, which she attributed to kiosk advertising revenue and lower-than-expected expenses. She added that the committee heard presentations about the general ledger – the association’s accounting records – and from its auditor, accounting firm KPMG.

Executive director’s report:

• ASUCLA received a $200,000 grant to subsidize Bruin One Access for students based on financial need, Abbassi said. He added that a separate program providing subsidies for academic materials is expected to launch in winter.
• Abbassi said ASUCLA has been working with members of UCLA’s disability community to identify a new space for them in Ackerman Union. He did not specify how the space would be used but said the proposal would be brought before the board as discussions progress.
• ASUCLA is applying for grants to support accessibility improvements and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal law protecting people with disabilities from discrimination.
• The UCLA Store has processed more than 260,000 transactions using CalFresh benefits – food assistance for eligible low-income individuals – since it began accepting them, Abbassi said.
• Bruin Rewards – a UCLA Store loyalty program that lets customers earn rewards toward future purchases – reached about 50,000 members, Abbassi said. He added that the UCLA Store and ASUCLA Instagram accounts have more than 75,000 followers combined.
• Some trademark and licensing initiatives – which involve authorizing the use of UCLA’s name and branding on products – have been paused while ASUCLA resolves outstanding issues with UCLA, Abbassi said. He added that an agreement for merchandise featuring both UCLA and LA28 branding remained pending.
• Abbassi said ASUCLA’s reusable container program has a 98% return rate and has avoided 17.5 tons of carbon emissions.
• ASUCLA expects to provide space and infrastructure for a research project focused on female athletes during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Abbassi said. Further details would be presented at a future meeting, he added.

Financial statements:

• Abbassi said preliminary September gross income totaled $7.5 million, about $500,000 less than projected and comparable to the previous year. He attributed weaker retail sales to economic uncertainty, rising computer prices and reduced consumer spending.
• Cost controls and operational efficiencies helped ASUCLA remain $124,000 ahead of its year-to-date budget despite its revenue being lower than expected, Abbassi said.
• Abbassi said the failure of the Bruin Life and Undergraduate Experience referendum – a proposed undergraduate fee to support ASUCLA programming and student employee pay – left the association without $175,000 in anticipated monthly revenue. Some expenses associated with that funding also did not occur, he added.
• Donna Baker, ASUCLA’s finance and accounting director, said cash and cash equivalents – assets readily convertible to cash – totaled $15.7 million at the end of September. She added that delayed payroll invoices from UCPath – the UC’s payroll and human resources system – temporarily increased that balance, and that the invoices had since been paid.
• Store inventory took an average of 118 days to sell, Baker said. She added that the finance team is working with store staff to identify ways to sell inventory more quickly.

Action/Discussion items:

• Peter Poon, the UCLA Store director, said ASUCLA plans to introduce Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology – which allows shoppers to take items and leave without waiting at a checkout register – at the Hill Top Shop, a store serving students living on the Hill. He added that a meeting with Amazon is scheduled for mid-November and that ASUCLA hopes to install the technology before summer 2027.
• Poon said ASUCLA might expand the technology to other locations if the pilot succeeds.
• The UCLA Store employs 60 career staff and approximately 350 student workers throughout the year, Poon said. He added that Bruin One Access has saved students $6.16 million since its launch in fall 2024.
• Poon said the store has remodeled five departments since 2022 and redesigned Joe n’ Go to provide more seating and food and beverage options. Current projects include lighting upgrades, work with a retail consultant on sales and inventory management and a planned holiday pop-up with clothing brand Aviator Nation, he added.
• Future initiatives include expanding merchandise without UCLA branding, adding more pop culture and seasonal products and rearranging the BearWear apparel section, Poon said.
• The board entered executive session, a portion of the meeting closed to the public, after the store presentation.