The Undergraduate Students Association Council is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Council meetings take place every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Kerckhoff 417 and are open to all students. Watch a livestream of the meetings on the USAC Live! YouTube channel, which can be accessed with a ucla.edu account.
Special presentations:
- Representatives from the Community Programs Office said the office used some of the Social Justice Referendum funds to increase the student staff hourly wage by $1.25 and provide turkey holiday boxes for over 700 students.
- Aaron Simental, chief of staff for General Representative 1, gave a presentation about the office’s accomplishments over the academic year including the #Migrationisbeautiful photo campaign and the biweekly “Horchata Talks!”
Agenda:
- The council allocated $18,205.92 from the Contingency Programming Fund to various student organizations.
- The council approved a bylaw amendment proposed by Academic Affairs Commissioner Divya Sharma, which will establish a new initiative called Students for Allyship and Justice through Education. The initiative is in response to hate crimes committed over the past year, including an incident last weekend where the AAC’s door was vandalized with a homophobic slur. SAJE will provide allyship training to UCPD, the Academic Senate and student organizations.
- The council also discussed adding security cameras to the third and fourth floors of Kerckhoff Hall, in light of the various hate crimes that have been committed. Jessica Alexander, the student government services manager, said only the Kerckhoff study lounges currently have security cameras installed.
- The council also talked about the recent USAC elections and claims about how some candidates infringed upon intoxicated students’ right to vote in privacy. The council further discussed the efficacy of sanctions as a method of discouraging unfair and immoral campaigning tactics.
Reports:
- Campus Events Commissioner Nedda Saidian said her office will host the 24th Annual Shorttakes Film Festival, where top student film submissions will be judged by professional panelists from the film and entertainment industries, at James Bridges Theater on May 25.
- Transfer Student Representative Sayron Stokes said that her office will be tabling and giving away shirts at Bruin Day for transfer students May 12.
- Student Wellness Commissioner Christina Lee said her office will co-host the Culture in Mind Conference, which will focus on exploring the intersectionality between culture and mental health through workshops and speakers, on May 19.
- Community Service Commissioner Adriana Hardwicke said Project Bruin, which is an end-of-year event that works with underserved youth, will take place May 19 at the Court of Sciences. Recipients of CSC’s various education project services will be invited to campus for lunch and to attend interactive workshops by 12 campus organizations. This year’s theme “Make a Splash!” will be centered on the power and politics of water, she added.