USAC Officer Evaluation: Lily Shaw, Facilities Commissioner

Lily Shaw came into office with ambitious goals to improve infrastructure accessibility and sustainability on campus, and she has managed to live up to them.

Although a few of her biggest projects were slated to launch in spring quarter, it is clear Shaw has proactively worked throughout the year to lay the foundational groundwork for those projects. 

For example, one of her biggest and loftiest platforms was implementing a reusable container system in dining halls on the Hill. The board had expressed concern about the feasibility of this goal last year, as previous commissioners had not been successful in coordinating with administration to accomplish the same goal.

However, Shaw has managed to successfully overcome the obstacles previous commissioners have struggled with, and UCLA Dining Services has agreed to a trial run of the program and worked out all the technical logistics of how the program would operate on campus. Although this has now been put on hold because of the uncertainties regarding the situation surrounding COVID-19, the board is impressed with the work Shaw has done to solidify the program and laying the foundations for its launch in the future. 

In addition, Shaw has successfully collaborated with various administrative entities and campus organizations to push forward initiatives to improve transportation, lighting and accessibility on campus. She has also been active in advocating on behalf of students with disabilities, helping foster the creation of a disabled student union.

One platform she has not been entirely successful in, however, is finding adequate spaces for cultural organizations on campus, a notoriously difficult task students have tried to tackle for years.

Although she could have done more wide-scale outreach, Shaw has done a good job overall engaging with students and establishing FAC’s presence on campus. She has continued to regularly hold on-campus events such as the second annual Disability Rights Town Hall and quarterly Bruin Bazaars, for which FAC has collaborated with other sustainability and basic needs organizations for the first time. 

Shaw has been exemplary in pushing for increased transparency within the commission as well as on the council table. After making guidelines for The Green Initiative Fund more clear and accessible, FAC saw a significant increase in the number of funding applications it received from students and was able to fund $130,000 worth of student sustainability projects this year. In addition to making TGIF more accessible to students, Shaw also implemented it as one of the funding bodies required to disclose allocations at council meetings. 

Overall, Shaw has been largely successful in meeting her goals for her office and the campus community.