In first meeting, Senate mulls student discounts

USC’s Undergraduate Student Government held its first senate meeting of the year Tuesday, with senators discussing a proposed student discount program and laying the groundwork for the semester’s initiatives.

USG has been in talks with the Student Savings Club, a company that partners with local businesses to provide college students with discounts on food and other services, USG President Holden Slusher said at the meeting.

Students would have to present their USCards, at participating businesses, such as Office Depot and the L.A. Live restaurants, to receive these discounts.

Slusher provided the senators with a sheet including restaurants and businesses that would tentatively be a part of the plan, with most showing 10 percent discounts.

To implement the Student Savings Club program, USG would have to pay the company an annual fee of $1,700, Slusher said while introducing the initiative to the senate.

But the senators’ approval of the measure would not directly cost students any money or result in a raise of the student programming fee, he said. Instead, the money would come from Senate allocations, funds left over after USG finishes distributing money to its various programs.

Some senators expressed concerned about getting the word out to students about the discount program, but Slusher said USG would promote the program on its website and participating outlets would have signs to inform students.

The Senate will vote on the measure next Tuesday.

In addition to the Student Savings Club program, USG hopes to enact more initiatives over the upcoming weeks to improve student life at USC. Some of the initial projects being discussed included a tram to L.A. Live and the addition of more equipment and longer hours at the General William University Lyon University Center, according to Ashlie Chan, vice president of USG.

“It’s still in the gray area, but we’re getting the ball rolling and we’re really excited,” Chan said. “I know that Holden and I have a really great administration. As long as we’re working towards what students want, that’s all we can ask for.”

She added that they would also be working on the expansion of two-unit course offerings and the ability to transfer football season tickets from student to student.

Slusher said he was optimistic about USG’s ability to make its proposed initiatives realities, citing the improvements to the Lyon Center as one area he hopes to significantly impact.

“The biggest thing for me is that students and student government don’t back down on anything, [that] we have faith in ourselves not to back down from a big project,” Slusher said. “Going big pays off.”