USAC recap – July 26

The Undergraduate Students Association Council is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Council meetings usually 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 unanimously agreed to establish an ad hoc committee to discuss distributing revenue from the four referendums that passed in May. USAC President Danny Siegel said he hopes the committee will have representation from USAC, administration and student leaders.

• Siegel appointed Nick Motamedi, a rising third-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student, as the USAC student advocate, and Sara Zaghi, a rising second-year undeclared student, as the USAC publicity chair.

• Siegel also appointed Shamik Maganlal, a rising third-year economics and statistics student, to the Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Affairs.

• The council approved three students to the Associated Students UCLA Communications Board, which manages Student Media, including the Daily Bruin and several newsmagazines. Mrinaalika Sivakumar, a rising third-year economics and international development studies student, was unanimously appointed to a one-year term. Madelyn Chen, a rising second-year English student, was appointed to a two-year term with a 7-1 vote. Eliza Blackorby, a rising third-year economics and global studies student and a former staff writer at the Bruin, was unanimously appointed to a two-year term.

• The council unanimously approved Imesh Samarakoon, a rising fourth-year MCDB student, and Judy Ly, a rising fourth-year statistics student, to the Community Service Mini Fund committee. The council also approved Emily Kohlheim, a rising third-year political science student who has served as the chair of the committee this year, to a second term.

• The council unanimously approved Sai Sumana Kaluvai, a rising second-year chemical engineering and economics student, to the Campus Food Security committee.

• The council unanimously approved Susan Martinez, a rising fourth-year sociology student, and Denise Marshall, a rising fifth-year African American studies student, to the Campus Retention committee.

Officer reports

• Dean of Students Maria Blandizzi introduced Rob Kadota, an assistant director of residential life, as a new advisor to USAC, replacing Christine Mata. She also introduced Kevin Dougherty, associate dean and director of fraternity and sorority relations, to the council.

• Siegel said he met with Rachel Beyda, chief justice at the USAC Judicial Board. He also said he has been sitting in Chancellor Gene Block’s Campus Safety Task Force, which has met every week since the end of June. Siegel said a website, which has just gone live, seeks community feedback on what community members experienced during the June 1 shooting. He also said he is preparing for a meeting with Block on Friday.

• The proxy person for external vice president Rafael Sands said EVP staff attended University of California Board of Regents meeting and the UC Student Association’s board meeting, where they called for the resolution to support a University-wide gun violence research center and for systemwide action to address campus violence.

• Academic Affairs Commissioner Ashly Mohankumar said she met with Susan Cochran, chair-elect at the Academic Senate. She said she hopes to continue the conversation USAC councilmembers have had about implementing dead days before the finals week. She said she is also having a meeting with Corey Hollis, director of academic advising in UCLA College Academic Counseling, to talk about having a College Honors mentor and peer counselor in Kerckhoff Hall.