USAC recap – Nov. 4

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! channel on YouTube.

Public Comments:

• Students from Hermanas Unidas de UCLA and Students for Justice in Palestine asked the council to allocate discretionary funding to provide supplies and aid to Central American refugees along the Mexican Border.

Special Presentations:

• Andy Cofino, director of LGBT Campus Resource Center, discussed resources the center provides, including drop-in counseling and academic counseling.
• Lt. Kevin Kilgore presented in his UCPD monthly update that students remained safe throughout the SPJ Conference.
• CALPIRG presented updates on its Save the Bees campaign. CALPIRG has collected 1,900 signatures for their No Bees No Food Campaign and ran a 100% Renewable energy campaign, Affordable Textbook Campaign and New Voters Project. Next quarter they will run a 100% Renewable transportation campaign encouraging the use of electric buses and a 0% Hungry campaign geared toward UC students.

Agenda:

• The council allocated a total of $5,823 from contingency programming fund to non-USAC groups.
• The council allocated $3,000 from the Supplemental Funds for Service to Bruin Partners and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.
• The council allocated $2,000 from Academic Success Referendum Fund to the USAC Financial Supports Commission.
• The council allocated $1,500 to Hermanas Unidas de UCLA to supply aid to refugees along the Mexican border.
• The council moved $150,000 in preliminary surplus allocations to a holding account and $55,782.49 to restricted surplus funding.
• The council discussed their concerns about media access to council members’ personal phone numbers.
• The council appointed Chloe Tamadon, a third-year materials science student, as a fieldman in the Student Conduct Committee.

Reports:

• President Claire Fieldman said her office finished making appointments. She added her office will hand out encouraging notes, along with free blue books and scantrons, on Bruinwalk during finals week.
• Internal Vice President Robert Blake Watson said his office was working on a clothing drive for the Good Clothes Good People project. He added the Off-Campus Living Fair will take place Jan. 20, 2019.
• External Vice President Jamie Kennerk said her office has been working with UCPath to set up a town hall meeting Dec. 6. She added crew members will be at the town hall to help troubleshoot pay issues after the event. She also added the public comment period on changes to federal Title IX policies has opened and she encourages students to submit feedback.
• General Representative 2 Bella Martin said her office has been working with the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association leaders to create a Risk Management Reflection. Each fraternity was tasked with sending USAC a list of policies for which they will hold their chapter accountable, such as social event conduct.
• General Representative 3 Eduardo Solis said his office finished their Bruins Come First Campaign, through which they received almost 700 signatures on a petition to add a National Suicide Hotline number on the back of BruinCards. He added his office finished their donation drive and raised over $1,000 to help refugees at the U.S.-Mexico border.
• Campus Events Commissioner Alley Madison said her office has organized a screening of “The Upside” in the James Bridges Theater on Dec. 9. She added her office is circulating a survey to gauge the perceived accessibility of its events.
• Cultural Affairs Commissioner Sarena Khasawneh said her office organized de-stress activities for week 10, including plate breaking.
• Financial Support Commissioner Jay Manzano said his office collected 63 clickers for the office’s loaner library, expanding the total to 471. He added his office received USAC funding for twenty $50 scholarships for textbooks.