USAC Recap – Jan. 24

The Undergraduate Students Association Council is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Council meetings take place every week on 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.

Special presentations

• General Representative 3 Executive Chief of Staff Zoya Chhabra spoke about Sigma C.H.A.I., or Coalition of Humans Against Injustice, which aims to connect different groups on campus together, especially students participating in Greek life. Every week students will meet to discuss a controversial topic, which were chosen by surveys taken last quarter. Sigma C.H.A.I.’s first meeting will be Friday.
• Second-year psychobiology student Kawsar Nasir and second-year human biology and society student Reem Karmouta, spoke about their campaign to allow Syrian refugees to attend universities in the United States through the Institute of International Education. They encouraged the council to create a resolution to support the program at UCLA.
• External Vice President Rafi Sands discussed creating a UCLA campaign against Measure S: Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, a proposition on the March 2017 ballot which would limit the amount of type of housing construction in Los Angeles. Sands said that the measure would decrease the amount of housing available in Los Angeles and, in turn, increase rent prices for UCLA students.

Agenda

• The council voted unanimously to allocate $4,200 to Contingency Programming.
• The council voted unanimously to allocate $500 to the EVP Bruin Defenders for the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Board.

Officer reports

• Sabrina Zeigler, internal vice president, said that there will be an off-campus housing fair Feb. 1 to promote apartment services, teach students about renting laws and connect UCLA students with tenants.
• Sands said he talked to UCLA representatives about the tuition hike and found that an increase in tuition would also mean an increase in the Cal Grant, which could offset financial problems for many students.
• Ashly Mohankumar, academic affairs commissioner, encouraged students to attend the “I Am Pre-Med” panel discussion this week which will discuss how to become involved in the medical field.
• Christina Lee, student wellness commissioner, said a garden will be constructed above Bruin Plate to grow food to be used in the dining hall’s products. Lee said this year’s Bruin Run/Walk has has received $7000 in donations.
• Sandra Rhee, facilities commissioner, said her office is working on a pilot program for a UCLA driving service comparable to Uberpool. Also, she said the Food Waste Recovery Program has continued for this quarter, but will no longer be staffed by members of her office.
• Jordan Dang, campus events commissioner, said the movie showings for “Hacksaw Ridge” and “Moana” have been rescheduled.
• Zoe Borden, general representative 1, said her office is working with UCLA Financial Aid and the Scholarship Resource Center to help promote scholarships to students.
• Divya Sharma, transfer student representative, said his office wants to create two scholarships for undocumented students. He added his office is also working to add more lactation centers around campus.

Announcements

• Sharma said he held a focus group for the new USAC ad-hoc committee and many students complained that USAC appointments are not distributed across different communities. Mohankumar said the ad-hoc committee should consider how senate systems can cause chaos and may not be the best model to follow. Sharma agreed, but he stressed that diversity must be institutionalized on the council somehow.
• Amy Shao, cultural affairs commissioner, said her office will be hosting a fashion show about hip hop culture to coincide with Black History Month.