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Welcome to the Associated Students

As an undergraduate student, you are automatically a member of the Associated Students, known on this campus as the AS. The AS is your student association, your student government, and I wanted to take a moment to welcome you to the Association. If you are a returning student, you have probably heard of AS in some capacity before, whether you have requested funding for your student organization, or you have attended the annual SunGod festival in the Spring. If you are an incoming freshman or transfer student, I hope you will explore what AS has to offer you during your time here at UCSD.

The AS has myriad services and commissions with plenty of ways to get involved. You can learn to produce a TV show and have it broadcast to all the dorms on SRTV, an AS service. You can get hands-on volunteer experience with the Volunteer Connection, another AS service. If you are interested in reaching out to students at high schools in low-income or underprivileged areas and teaching those students about the opportunities available to them in higher education and at UCSD, the Student-Initiated Outreach and Recruitment Commission (SIORC) is a great way to participate in completely student-initiated outreach efforts. If you are a transfer student looking for ways to connect with other transfer students, the All Campus Transfer Association (ACTA) might be for you. One thing you will notice on this campus is that everything has an acronym, and if you are a new student, this can get pretty overwhelming. If the letters CV, OVT, ACCB, ASP, PCYNH, or RIMAC don't mean anything to you yet, don't worry. By the time you have spent a few weeks here, you will have it down.

This year, AS is putting on some awesome events that we hope you will attend. Every Wednesday night (starting Week 2) from 8p-11p at Round Table Pizza will be karaoke night, sponsored jointly by AS and UEO. There will be free pizza served every hour on the hour, so come and check it out! On Monday night of finals week at midnight, check out the AS Midnight Pancake Breakfast, where free breakfast is served to keep you energized as you study for finals. Finally, keep your eye out for concerts and shows put on by AS throughout the entire year.

If you are looking to get involved in the AS offices, there are dozens of positions open in the Fall for which you may apply, including the position of Vice-President External Affairs. Check the AS website (http://as.ucsd.edu/) frequently for details and openings as they occur.

If you have any questions, please call me at (858)534-4452 or send an email to aspresident@ucsd.edu.

Good luck this year. And if you are a new student, welcome to UCSD!

Harry Khanna President Associated Students