USAC recap – Oct. 17

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.

Public Comments:

• Members from the 2016-2017 Election Board said they think the amendments the council made to the election code earlier this month violated the USAC constitution and election code because the council had not yet appointed an Election Board chair.

Agenda:

• The council tabled bylaw changes to the Office Space Allocation Committee and appointments to next week so council members could attend an event on free speech.
• The council made appointments to the UCLA Committee on Disability and the Student Health Advisory Committee.
• The council allocated $4,600 from the Contingency Capital Items Fund to USAC and non-USAC offices.
• The council allocated $9,220.03 from the Student Organizations Operational Fund to student organizations.

Officer reports:

• USAC President Arielle Yael Mokhtarzadeh said there are free speech events happening this week including a panel Wednesday about campus speech at 3 p.m. in the Pauley Pavilion Clubhouse.
• Internal Vice President Vivy Li said her office is working on the UCLA T-Shirt Contest and is also organizing an alumni gala that will take place spring 2018.
• External Vice President Chloe Pan said her office is starting a campaign against unpaid student internships and said they created a survey to gather student testimonials. She added students interested in lobbying or advocacy can still apply for the Bruin Defenders, a grant program that funds advocacy-related trips, which will accept applications for the fall 2017 on a rolling basis.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Divya Sharma said for Breast Cancer Awareness month, his office will be handing out pink ribbons and educating students on how to identify breast cancer symptoms at an event on Bruin Walk and Kerckhoff 310 on Oct. 25. He added students can donate their used items to a sanctuary yard sale that his office will be hosting Oct. 27 at Bruin Plaza.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Christina Lee said her office is organizing a mental health fair on Bruin Walk on Nov. 3.
• Facilities Commissioner Zahra Hajee said her office has created a survey to receive feedback from students on the designated Uber and Lyft pickup zones. She added her office will present the data to UCLA Transportation Services.
• Financial Support Commissioner Aaron Boudaie said his office’s fall advocacy campaign is Aid and Grants, which will advocate for more financial aid and grants to students.
• General Representative 2 Kayla He said the International Student Leadership Coalition is hosting a Conversation Cafe event Nov. 13 in Powell Library for students to talk about their diverse backgrounds. She added the coalition is still accepting student volunteers to facilitate conversations at the event.
• Campus Events Commissioner Nedda Saidian said her office is hosting a free concert for the band Mt. Joy in Bruin Plaza on Oct. 23. She added her office will also hold movie screenings of “Atomic Blonde” on Oct. 24 and “The Room” on Oct. 27.
• Transfer Student Representative Sayron Stokes said her office will be holding events this week for Bruin Transfer Pride Week in the Bruin Resource Center. She added she will be hosting office hours in the transfer center through Facebook Live and walk-ins every Wednesday from 12 p.m to 1 p.m.
• Administrative Representative Debra Geller said the council’s amendments to the election code earlier this month did not meet the two-thirds vote needed to pass. She added she thinks setting different financial limits to students running with a slate or independently is a violation of the First Amendment’s right to free association.

New Business:

• The council approved by consent guideline changes to the Academic Affairs Commission’s Travel Mini Fund to allow students to apply for funding for graduate school interviews and for outreach programs for high school students in under-served communities.
• The council also approved by consent guideline changes to the Office Space Allocation Committee to include a lottery system for vacant mailboxes and lockers, and require the Office Space Allocation Committee chair to inform student organizations of audits two weeks before they occur.