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 the Bruin Viewpoint Room and are open to all students. Watch a livestream of the meetings on the USAC Live! channel on YouTube.
Public Comment:
- Representatives from California Public Interest Research Group at UCLA said CALPIRG is launching a new initiative to ban plastic waste in California and continue its campaigns to save the bees, promote zero hunger for college students and increase textbook affordability.
- Students advocated for a referendum to add an undergraduate student worker representative to the council.
Special Presentations:
- UCPD Lt. Kevin Kilgore said he encourages students to be careful while walking home from the final Undie Run of the year.
- A second-year computer science student said he is working on an online platform where students can find a centralized database of student groups on campus. He said the platform will be comparable to other sites such as Bruinwalk, and will officially launch at the end of the month.
Agenda:
- The council allocated a total of $2,730 from the contingency fund to non-USAC groups.
- The council appointed Siena Villegas, a second-year business economics student, as an ASUCLA board of directors undergraduate representative.
- The council appointed Alexis Wells, a second-year political science and African American studies student, as an ASUCLA board of directors undergraduate representative.
- The council appointed Jackelyn Avendano, a fourth-year political science student, to the Student Initiated Outreach Committee.
- The council appointed Stephanie Martinez, a third-year Chicana and Chicaco studies student, to the Campus Retention Committee.
- The council appointed Breanna Aguilar, a third-year gender studies and Chicana and Chicano studies student, to the SIOC.
- The council appointed David Minasyan, a second-year psychobiology and economics student, as Finance Committee vice chair.
- Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kelechi Iheanacho appointed Ngoc Nguyen as CAC Arts Restoring Chair Fund Chair.
- External Vice President Johana Guerra Martinez appointed Eduardo Perez as campus organizing director for the EVP office.
- Martinez appointed Kaila Ralph as Legislative Affairs director for the EVP office.
- Academic Affairs Commissioner Naomi Riley appointed Amado Castillo to the Writing Success Program.
- Council members discussed the amount of time council should take to put resolutions into action. Lalo Velazquez, USAC general representative, said he thinks the council should acknowledge past resolutions more. Facilities commissioner Lily Shaw said she thinks resolutions passed by USAC do not hold much weight because the administration can ignore them. President Robert Watson said resolutions can be more impactful if they ask for more tangible things from the administration as opposed to reiterating sentiments from the council.
- The council approved their summer guidelines, which includes who will chair the meetings and how the agenda will be disseminated to the public.
Reports:
- Watson said he recently met with Chancellor Gene Block and spoke with him about his office’s blue book initiative, which seeks to provide blue books for students at no cost. He added that his office met with Suzanne Seplow, assistant vice chancellor of student development, and other administrators to ask that student housing applications be more queer and trans-inclusive. He also added his office will be hosting a student government meeting with several universities.
- Internal Vice President Kimberly Bonifacio said the Campus Safety Alliance is asking UCLA administration for an extension of the comment period for policies 133 and 890.
- Riley said her office met with Academic Senate representatives to discuss the undergraduate senate appointment process.
- Campus Events Commissioner Tara Steinmetz said her office is hosting an event with YouTuber Cody Ko on Thursday.
- Shaw said her office is going to implement a reusable container system on the Hill and has spoken to administrators about the initiative.
- Student Wellness Commissioner Mihika Sridhar said her office will hold a week-long photo exhibit in the Kerckhoff Art Gallery meant to promote body positivity.