020713

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Spirited away

spirit night this friday

TRANSPORTaTION

A.S. Council Launches Education Campaign Led by President Meggie Le, the new initiative seeks to spread awareness of TPS changes. BY SARAH MOON

Staff writer Members of A.S. Council are taking action to inform and involve UCSD students in their ongoing education campaign about recently announced changes to transportation services. Last month, UCSD Transportation and Parking Services announced changes in transportation for the 2013–2014 school year due to its budget deficit, including the discontinuation of the Nobel and Arriba shuttle services, which will be absorbed by MTS. Other changes include an increase in student parking permit prices and the dissolution of the free UCSD Bus Zone sticker. A.S. Council’s recent efforts in its campaign against these changes include a student transportation survey and presentations to 31 student organizations. With over 6,000 members, the student-run Facebook group “UCSD Students Against Transportation Changes” has allowed students to become involved and discuss solutions to the proposed changes. A.S. President Meggie Le said she believes the biggest issue to address regarding the transportation system is its funding model. By presenting to student organizations and talking with students on Library Walk, Le plans to inform students about the model and the council’s plan to fix it. “What it comes down to is the funding model and how unsustainable it is,” Lee said. “If we fix it, then we’ll be able to balance our transportation system.” Members of A.S. Council will meet with Vice Chancellor Gary Matthews this Friday, Feb. 8, to discuss problems surrounding the funding model. “A lot of it will be us pressuring him [Matthews] to get his staff members to create this sustainable model,” Le said. TPS is a completely self-supported department without state funds or student fees for services. This year alone, TPS faces a $2.1 million deficit. “The department works hard to provide innovative and sustainable commute options and support the overall effort to reduce the carbon footprint of the campus,” Director of Auxiliary Business Services Robert Holden said. Holden says that the cost of subsidizing 100 percent of the Bus Zone has surpassed incoming revenue to TPS. See INITIATIVE, page 3

Taylor sanderson /Guardian

Patrons at OceanView Terrace in Thurgood Marshall College enjoy lunch Feb. 6. Housing and Dining Services recetnyl announced that the dining hall will revert from its current “all-you-care-to-eat” system back to the a la carte system currently found in all other campus dining halls.

hOUSING AND DINING

OVT to End BuffetStyle Dining Next Year

The Marshall College Restaurant will return to a pay-per-item system in 2013-2014. BY mekala neelakantan

associate news editor

O

ceanview Terrace will revert to its a la carte-style dining beginning next year, according to Housing, Dining and Hospitality Services. OVT has been operating as an all-you-can-eat buffet since the start of the 2012–2013 academic year, but after student feedback and an organized petition, the Thurgood Marshall College dining hall will discontinue its buffet. Marshall Senators Mariko Kuga and Dalena Nguyen noticed a dislike for the buffet during Fall Quarter 2012 and decided to take action by organizing a petition and encouraging constituents to voice their opinions during the senators’ office hours.

Last quarter, Kuga and Nguyen met with A.S. President Meggie Le and drafted a petition over Thanksgiving break, planning to release the petition after it underwent the necessary checks by A.S. Council and the Thurgood Marshall College Student Council. The petition was formally released on Change.org during Week 1 of Winter Quarter 2013, but by that time, HDH had already decided to discontinue OVT’s buffet. According to minutes from the Jan. 10 HDH meeting, Assistant Vice Chancellor Mark Cunningham and HDH Director of Dining Steve Casad stated that for the 2013-2014 school year, OVT will no longer be an “All-You-Care-To-Eat”, and will turn back into a retail-based unit. “Just before releasing the petition, Dalena and I sat down with Mark Cunningham, the head of HDH,” Kuga said. “He informed us during that meeting that HDH had already decided to change OVT back … as they had noticed that it wasn’t that popular with the stu-

dents.” Nevertheless, the short-lived petition garnered 224 supporters on Change.org. “The feedback we have received has been positive — although small — since the petition seemed somewhat unnecessary to students since HDH announced the buffet style would be discontinued,” Kuga said. Regarding the entire protest process, Kuga and Nguyen said that students should not be afraid to voice the concerns they have for HDH issues. “Students are the customers, and if they are not happy about something, [they should] voice concerns either directly to HDH or through college council,” Kuga said. “If they are unhappy, they should make it heard.” OVT manager James Johnson was not immediately available for comment.

readers can contact MEKALA NEELAKANTAN

MNEELAKA@ucsd.edu

CAMPUS

Writing Center Expands Operation The pilot program, now in its second quarter, provides assistance for students in all colleges. BY helen hejran

contributing writer Students requiring assistance with writing assignments can now seek help from peer mentors at the new, centralized UCSD Writing Center. The center opened at the beginning of Fall Quarter 2012 in the Mandeville Center as a campuswide writing assistance outlet for students. Last year, the Council of Provosts, consisting of academic leadership from all six colleges, decided to institute a campuswide service that could provide writing assistance for stuSee CENTER, page 3


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