USAC recap – June 3

The original version of this article contained an error and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for more information.

The Undergraduate Students Association Council is the official student government of UCLA’s undergraduate students. Council meetings are Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in Kerckhoff 417 and are open to all students. Watch a live stream of the meeting on the USAC Live! YouTube channel.

Agenda

  • The council approved contingency programming allocations with a 12-0-0 vote.
  • Internal Vice President Avinoam Baral said the council will evaluate student appointments for the Associated Students UCLA Board of Directors at their next meeting on June 10. The Appointments Review Committee has recommended Carly Calbreath with a 3-0-0 vote and Denea Joseph with a 2-1-0 vote for the positions.

Special presentations

  • A member of the General Representative 2 office under former General Representative Sunny Singh presented a PowerPoint about the South Campus Survey, which asked students with south campus majors to give feedback about their curriculums and their overall experiences with south campus.
  • Rebekah Livermore, a student who started The Non-Invincible Project, gave a presentation about the project and how she hopes to expand it. She said the goal of the project is to educate students about mental health and to advocate for those suffering from mental health illness.
  • Joel Ontiveros, an undergraduate representative on the ASUCLA Board of Directors and a fifth-year communication studies and world arts and cultures/dance student, presented a PowerPoint to council about ASUCLA’s structure and goals, as well as the roles of student representatives on the ASUCLA Board of Directors.

Officer reports

  • USAC President Devin Murphy said he met with ASUCLA Director Bob Williams and they discussed working with Powell Library to develop plans for Cafe Powell. Murphy also said he met with the director of UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services to talk about mental health issues on campus. Murphy added that he plans to meet with Chancellor Gene Block later this week about a press release he issued in response to Block’s email criticizing the Joint Statement on USAC Ethics.
  • Internal Vice President Avinoam Baral said a third meeting to draft bylaws for the new transfer student representative position is set to take place Thursday night. He also said his office is working with UCPD and some Westwood landlords as part of the first Westside Initiative, a project aimed to make Westwood safer.
  • External Vice President Conrad Contreras said he met with Cynthia Wong, the Community Service commissioner, to talk about ways to increase voter registration on Volunteer Day. Contreras also said he met with Kelly Osajima, an organizer for Proposition 13 reform and the Fund the UC campaign, to talk about ways to move forward with Proposition 13 reform. He added that a University of California Student Association board retreat will be held June 25 to 28 and he will send out his appointments for UCSA after he conducts interviews this week.
  • Academic Affairs Commissioner Allyson Bach said the College of Letters and Science Faculty Executive Committee passed a diversity requirement proposal this past week. Bach said she is conducting staff interviews this week and is looking for a diversity lobby director who would continue advocacy work for the requirement. She added that she attended the Undergraduate Student Initiated Education banquet this past week.
  • Facilities Commissioner Carlos Quintanilla said he and Baral met with the the director of the UCLA Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center to talk about how to better address issues of sexual discrimination on campus. Quintanilla said he is trying to find funding to install more gender inclusive bathrooms on campus. He also said he met with ASUCLA representatives about funding a project that would safely distribute and store compost on campus.
  • Student Wellness Commissioner Savannah Badalich said her office and the 7000 in Solidarity campaign against sexual assault are holding a forum on Wednesday about gender-based violence and a shooting that took place recently near University of California, Santa Barbara. Badalich said she was upset by the way university police dealt with hateful speech by a minister in front of Kerckhoff Hall Monday. Negeen Sadeghi-Movahed, a third-year political science student who spoke during Badalich’s report, talked about her negative experience with the minister.
  • General Representative Nihal Satyadev said he is working with Manjot Singh, another general representative, and Mick Deluca, the executive director of UCLA Recreation, to create a joint general representative internship for fall quarter. He also said his office will host a lab coat loaner drive on Thursday, Friday and Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Kerckhoff 417.

Compiled by Samantha Tomilowitz, Bruin contributor.

Correction: UCSA will hold a board retreat from June 25-28.

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