USAC recap – Feb. 3

The Undergraduate Students Association Council is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Council meetings take place every week on 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 voted 12-0-0 to approve contingency programming fund allocations of $4,999.
• Council allocated about $600 from the discretionary fund for Mental Health Matters, a conference on mental health issues faced by campus happening this Sunday.

• Councilmembers unanimously approved winter Student Organizations Operational Fund allocations. The allocations totaled just over $20,000 and groups received an average of about $200.
• The council unanimously passed “A Resolution to Commemorate the UCLA Freedom Riders,” which expressed support for the students who protested segregation on interstate transportation in 1961. Part of the initiative includes a panel at Royce Hall on Friday at 7 p.m. to recognize the civil rights activists who went to the Deep South on buses to address discrimination. Some of the original Freedom Riders, who are UCLA alumni, will be returning to campus to discuss their experiences for the event. Before voting on the resolution, councilmembers listened to a presentation by Rick Tuttle, a UCLA public policy lecturer and Freedom Rider, who talked about the history of the activists and the challenges they had to overcome.

• The council unanimously voted to table a vote on proposed amendments to the USAC election code. Proposed changes include adding a job description to every USAC position, recognizing slates, instilling campaign spending limits and requiring financial disclosure. The reforms also include imposing social media restrictions on candidates during sanction and extending campaigning in residential areas to university apartments.

Officer Reports

• President Avinoam Baral presented the goals of his office for the rest of the year, including plans to educate students about mental health funding and advocate for students at the University of California level, and expand postgraduate student access to career services. He said his office is also looking to continue plans to create a cafe in Powell Library.

• Internal Vice President Heather Hourdequin said her office is preparing to put on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Awareness Week in spring and Campus Safety Week at the end of winter quarter. She added that her office is also planning for an upcoming student vendor fair.
• External Vice President Conrad Contreras said his office is preparing for Campus Climate Legislation Day, which will give students a chance to talk about campus climate problems with local legislators.
• General Representative Manjot Singh said his office is planning to put on a workshop to help students improve their public speaking skills.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Allyson Bach said her office is involved in efforts to re-circulate a petition in support of the diversity course requirement proposal and get students to sign on.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Savannah Badalich said her office is preparing for the Mental Health Matters conference on Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Compiled by Jillian Frankel, Bruin contributor.