#eavp

View the OP-ED written by EAVP Abbasi and members of his office in regards to Measure R on the Berkeley ballot this November!

PRESS RELEASE:

For Immediate Release September 25, 2012 Shahryar Abbasi, ASUC External Affairs Vice President ([email protected]; 925-212-4487)

THE ANNUAL STUDENTS OF COLOR CONFERENCE (SOCC) WILL BE HELD FROM NOVEMBER 9TH-11TH AT UC, RIVERSIDE

In an effort to congregate students of color in a safe space and to educate students on cultural and racial issues still existent in the today’s society, the SOCC is an opportunity to share opinions and views with students from all over California.

By Ada Gu, ASUC Office of the External Affairs Vice President RIVERSIDE, Calif—The 24th annual Students of Color Conference (SOCC) will be held this year from November 9th to 11th at the University of California, Riverside. This yearly event is held by the UCSA as a platform for membership to congregate together to discuss and challenge cultural issues and inequalities that exist in our education system even today. The SOCC is a safe space for students of color and proponents of cultural equality to strategize and plan campus and statewide actions. It is the UCSA’s oldest and largest conference, and for the past 24 years, has been a major forum used to bring diverse, passionate students together from campuses all over California.

To finish the first phase of registration for the UC Berkeley delegation, please:

1.Complete the application at http://tinyurl.com/ucbsocc.

2.Turn in your $30 refundable deposit at the LEAD Center located at 102 Hearst Gym

3.Sign the University waiver at the LEAD Center located at 102 Hearst Gym The LEAD Center will be accepting your refundable deposits and collecting waivers Monday- Friday between 10am-4pm up until the deadline which is October 8th.

There will be no exceptions after this deadline. The deadline to cancel registration is October 8th by 5pm. If you cancel your registration after this time, your deposit will be non-refundable.

If you are unable to pay the $30 deposit please contact Prabhdeep Kehal at [email protected]. To learn more about the Student of Color Conference and the UCSA, you can contact the UCSA office in Oakland at 510-834-8272 and visit www.ucrsocc2012.com.

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PRESS RELEASE:

For Immediate Release September 25, 2012

Shahryar Abbasi, ASUC External Affairs Vice President ([email protected]; 925-212-4487)

Lilly Adams, State Chair, CALPIRG ([email protected]; 206-462-9238)

Daniel Tuchler, President, Cal Berkeley Democrats ([email protected]; 949-246-6952)

CALIFORNIA INTRODUCES NEW ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION PROCESS

In an effort to bring the democratic process into the new technological age, California moves one step closer to increasing accessibility to voter registration.

By Ada Gu, ASUC Office of the External Affairs Vice President BERKELEY, Calif.—Registering to vote is becoming easier than ever with the launch of an online registration system Wednesday, September 19th. In an increasingly technologically connected world, where the internet is more accessible than a mailbox, this is a strong move forward by California elections officials hoping to increase accessibility to the democratic process.

This process has allowed the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) to partner with the University of California Student Association (UCSA), CALPIRG, and Rock the Vote to create an online portal to help register students that is available through http://www.californiastudentvote.org. Students should remember to list their university to help show which university is registering the most students to vote. Under the new law, the online form is also available for applicants to fill out at the Secretary of State’s website. To ensure registration security, the application, which will request date of birth and the last four digits of the applicant’s Social Security number, will be checked against their driver’s license or state identification card. If the application is successful, an electronic image of the applicant’s DMV signature will be added to the application at the end. However, if no signature is on file with the DMV, applicants will be required to print out the form and mail a completed version to the county election’s office.

The introduction of this new process is “great news for Democracy.” This statement issued by Secretary of State Debra Bowen was supported by state lawmakers as well as voter advocates, who have an invested interest in the upcoming November election. This online portal comes at a time when the ASUC Vote Coalition, a non-partisan organization, has been working towards registering residents in the Berkeley community. The coalition is UC Berkeley’s student government’s official voter registration coalition composed of student organizations on campus, such as CalPIRG and Cal Berkeley Democrats. Collectively, the coalition has a goal of registering 12,000 students, striving to raise the profile of voting on campus and foster an atmosphere of democratic involvement among students. Supporters of this move say it will help more than 6 million qualified but unregistered Californians to take part in the November elections. As of May, 72% of California’s 23.7 million eligible voters were registered.

The deadline for voter registration in California is October 22, two weeks before the November 6 general election. This election, which features the presidential race, critical state ballot initiatives and local council and mayoral races, requires active participation from all eligible voters.

The online application process resulted from legislation passed last year by state Sen. Leland Yee, ahead of a delayed federally required statewide voter database. According to Yee, the online registration process will not only increase voter information accuracy but will also reduce costs and allow more voters to take part in the elections. An online application does not lead to automatic registration as county election officials must verify the information before the applicant is able to vote.

When the bill was passed in California, eleven other states including North Carolina, Oregon and Washington were either already offering or were in the process of offering online registration. Now California will join their ranks and facilitate the democratic process by making the voter registration process easier for the remaining 6 million qualified Californians.

Students and all eligible voters can register to vote now through http://www.californiastudentvote.org. Please remember to list your university in the process.

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The Office of EAVP Abbasi is working towards increasing student representation at the local level by enabling students to serve of critical city commissions. Many of these commissions overlap with goals and projects that Berkeley students are already working on! If you're at all interested in serving on a commission, contact EAVP Abbasi at [email protected]!

EAVP Abbasi's office is organizing efforts to attend the hearings on upcoming bills pertaining to issues important to us as students. On August 6th, the Senate Appropriations Committee will hear comments on:

Working Families Student Fee Transparency and Accountability Act – AB 970 (Fong)

Same Day Voter Reg – AB 1436 (Feuer)

Middle Class Scholarship Act – AB 1500 & AB 1501 (Speaker Perez)

On August 8th, the following bills will be heard:

Private Student Loans – SB 1289 (Corbett).

If you are interested in learning more about the bills or joining the EAVP office on August 6th or 8th (or both!), then fill out the following Google Form:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE5Oc1N1OHNzSHFIb3JJRllldm5CUWc6MQ

External Affairs VP Shahryar Abbasi is recruiting individuals to attend this year's 14th Annual UC Student Congress at UCSD from August 17-20th. The EAVP office is decreasing the original cost from $190 to only $90 for 20 individuals. In order to receive this subsidized rate though, you have to apply before Friday, July 20th at 5 PM.

The Elected Executive for the 2012-2013 academic year have decided to extend the deadline for their Deputyship and Directorship applications to Monday, July 9 by 5 PM. If you didn't get to check them out before, now is your chance; don't miss this opportunity!

If you have any questions, email contact [email protected] or one of the Chiefs of Staffs directly: