USAC recap – Oct. 3

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.

Special Presentations:

• UCPD Lt. Kevin Kilgore said he plans to attend USAC meetings every month to establish a better relationship with the council. He added UCPD aims to provide more resources for the UCLA community by engaging with and listening to students’ concerns.

Agenda:

• The council approved appointing Lynda Bui, a third-year economics student, Ryan Ender, a third-year economics student, and Nancy Alvarez, a third-year mathematics/economics student, to the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee manages USAC’s contingency fund and allocates funding to student groups.
• The council approved appointing Kristie Vange, a second-year business economics student, as the next assistant budget review director, who will assist the budget review director in presenting the budget allocations to the council and explaining the recommendations of the Budget Review Committee.
• The council also made appointments to The Green Initiative Fund Committee.
• The council reapproved all appointments made during the summer.
• The council allocated $3,903 from the Contingency Programming Fund to fund various student organizations.
• The council also allocated $127 from the Student Wellness Programming Fund to fund E3: Ecology, Economy, Equity, an environmental student organization on campus.

Officer Reports:

• USAC President Arielle Mokhtarzadeh said she has reached out to Livestream, a video livestreaming platform, to implement a new livestreaming format for council meetings, but she said it would cost around $10,000. She added she has also reached out to UCLA Information Technology Services to create a link directly on MyUCLA where students can access the videos.
• Internal Vice President Vivy Li said the archived USAC Live! videos are now accessible on YouTube. The council had previously archived the videos while proposing amendments to update the guidelines governing USAC Live!. Li added her office is still looking at different ways to stream council meetings while maintaining the privacy of individuals attending meetings.
• Li added there is $2,700 in Student Organizations Operational Funds left over from the council retreat that can be allocated for other uses, such as funding a new streaming platform for USAC Live! videos.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Christina Lee said her office held its annual healthcoming event with the Student Health Advisory Committee and the Arthur Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center’s Bruin Love Station on Monday to inform students about health resources on campus.
• Facilities Commissioner Zahra Hajee said the first part of Escape the Quake: Bruin Safe, an escape room series, will happen Wednesday in Bruin Plaza to better prepare students for emergency situations.
• Hajee said the Community Service Officers’ Evening Van Service is being re-branded into UCLA Safe Ride, which will include a new mobile application and change its operating hours from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. to 7 p.m. to midnight.

Old Business:

• The council voted 9-2-2 to amend the Election Code to remove a bylaw that allowed candidates running in a slate to raise an additional $200 to the slate’s total expenditure limit to promote its entire pool of candidates.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Divya Sharma said the original bylaws gave slates an unfair advantage and said he thinks the amendment will better help independent candidates.
• The council unanimously voted to change the guidelines for the USAC Student Government Operational Fund to give all offices access to the fund.

New Business:

• The council unanimously voted to amend the Student Wellness Programming Fund application.