Whereas the Government of Undergraduate Student Housing (hereafter GUSH) has a constituency of five thousand plus (5000)+ residents who reside in on-campus housing,

Whereas GUSH consists of an Executive Board which is elected by the entire on-campus housing population, and a Coordinating Board,

Whereas GUSH holds an annual elections event publicized to the entire campus,

Whereas all UCI students are able to attend the elections event,

Whereas the Coordinating Board of GUSH is comprised of Community Council, Student Council, and Student Association executive representatives, Resident Advisor and House Assistant representatives, and At-Large representatives from each of the four on-campus Housing communities (Arroyo Vista, Campus Village, Mesa Court, and Middle Earth),

Whereas the aforementioned executive representatives and Resident Advisor and House Assistant representatives are hired under the oversight of a professional staff advisor and undergo a highly selective hiring process consisting of application and interview,

Whereas the executive representatives and Resident Advisor and House Assistant representatives undergo extensive training for their positions,

Whereas the At-Large representatives are elected by a community of their peers in each housing community,

Whereas GUSH currently also welcomes residents of Vista del Campo and Vista del Campo, Norte to its Coordinating Board meetings,

Whereas residents of the on-campus Housing communities who do not hold At-Large positions may still voice concerns at the Coordinating Board without voting power,

Whereas the Government of Undergraduate Student Housing has maintained an Ex-Officio seat on Legislative Council,

Whereas it is the prerogative and mission for ASUCI and GUSH to serve residents and students alike,

Whereas the cooperation of ASUCI and GUSH as sister government organizations can mutually benefit both organizations,

Whereas GUSH maintains the following committees: Parking and Transportation, Dining, Sustainability, and the “United Voice” GUSH Magazine; and these committees overlap in function with the mission and goals of Legislative Council committees,

Whereas GUSH worked with ASUCI and the UCI Department of Parking and Transportation to implement the Holiday Shuttle Service in 2009,

Whereas the UCI Department of Parking and Transportation maintains the Holiday Shuttle Service,

Whereas the Holiday Shuttle Service is available to all UCI students, not only on-campus residents,

Whereas GUSH worked with UCI Hospitality and Dining Services to add the 25-, 50-, and 75-meal Voluntary meal plans,

Whereas these meal plans are available to all UCI students, not only on-campus residents,

Whereas GUSH worked with UCI Hospitality and Dining Services to implement the Provisions on Demand station in Pippin Commons as a trial-run,

Whereas the success of that trial resulted in the implementation of a Provisions on Demand station in Mesa Commons,

Whereas the Provisions on Demand stations are open to all UCI students, not only on-campus residents, and provide food, snacks, and school supplies, which are useful to all UCI students,

Whereas GUSH is affiliated with the National Affiliate for College and University Residence Halls (hereafter NACURH),

Whereas the Of-the-Month Committee of GUSH, which interacts with the Pacific Affiliate for College and University Resident Halls (hereafter PACURH) and the national association NACURH, serves to recognize events and persons at UCI, whether they are associated with UCI Housing or not,

Whereas GUSH's affiliation with PACURH and NACURH allows for regional and national recognition that can only benefit UCI,

Whereas GUSH may require aid from ASUCI in order to achieve further recognition,

Whereas GUSH maintains a number of other contributions to UCI abridged here for the sake of time in the presentation of this legislation,

Whereas it is the goal of both organizations to communicate to all students on campus,

Whereas the 2010-2011 ASUCI President has created Housing Liaisons in ASUCI,

Whereas the 2010-2011 ASUCI President has created a team of interns dedicated solely to Housing concerns, who work under the Housing Liaisons,

Whereas the ASUCI Housing Liaisons and interns work closely with GUSH and the Community Councils, Student Councils, and Student Associations of the four on-campus Housing communities,

Whereas the 2010-2011 ASUCI President in concert with GUSH are currently working to develop an ASUCI Ex-Officio seat on the GUSH Coordinating Board in order to create a closer-knit campus,

Whereas the aforementioned seat will serve to keep both ASUCI and Housing informed,

Whereas the aforementioned seat will be introduced to the GUSH Constitution and constitute a permanent change,

Whereas UCI Housing is a stable and permanent fixture of the university,

Whereas it is in the interests of ASUCI Legislative Council to effectively represent all parts of UCI,

Whereas a Housing Ex-Officio seat, as a dedicated position, would ensure effective representation of the UCI Housing constituency not otherwise available to ASUCI Legislative Council,

Whereas a Housing Ex-Officio seat would thus strengthen communication between the seemingly disparate ASUCI and Housing fixtures on campus, creating unity on campus,

Whereas the Housing Ex-Officio will convey pertinent information to GUSH, its constituents, ASUCI, and the campus itself,

Whereas these points respond to the concern that implementing this seat will take away from the fluidity of having five (5) general Ex-Officio seats by showing that it would be beneficial to create a permanent Housing Ex-Officio seat and that it would be detrimental and a missed opportunity to risk losing the representation of the on-campus residents by not guaranteeing their continued representation,

Whereas it is the case that UC Santa Barbara, from which UCI’s constitution is derived, has an On-Campus Housing ex-officio seat reserved,

Whereas this amendment shall serve the additional benefit of expediting the process of appointment to avoid periods during which confirmation has yet to be confirmed, which result in a lack of representation,

Whereas the ASUCI Judicial Board has found this amendment to be constitutional,

Whereas it would be to the benefit of both organizations that the ASUCI By-Laws add an additional clause which will read (additions in bold):

III. MEMBERSHIP PROVISIONS

A. Members

1. The Legislative Council shall consist of:

a. Duly elected or properly appointed Council members, ex-officio non-voting Executive Officers, and appointed non-voting members in good standing as defined in Article IV of the ASUCI Constitution and by the Registrar.

b. Appointed non-voting Council members of different cultural, ethnic, or special services interests. These members shall be appointed by their various constituencies; however, only organizations or associations with organized and officially recognized governing bodies may apply for seats on Council. Appointed non-voting Council members may not exceed five (5) in number.

                                    I. One of these five seats will be reserved to represent the on-campus                                         housing community to be confirmed by the Government of                                                            Undergraduate Student Housing.

And whereas if this amendment were to be enacted, GUSH's Constitution and By-Laws shall also be amended to reflect these changes and provide for oversight by and the inclusion of ASUCI Legislative Council in the process.

Let it finally be resolved that the ASUCI Bylaws be immediately updated to reflect these changes.