USAC Recap – Oct. 1

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 the Bruin Viewpoint Room and are open to all students. Watch a livestream of the meetings on the USAC Live! channel on YouTube.

Public Comment:

• A student from the Vietnamese Student Union expressed her support for a proposed USAC resolution against a new public charge rule the Trump administration has attempted to enforce. This rule would make it harder for immigrants to change their legal status if they have previously accepted government assistance by labeling them as a public charge. She said she thinks that Asian Americans will specifically be deterred from seeking welfare and other government assistance programs due to these efforts.

• A California Public Interest Research Group representative announced the group’s new project to stop the use of plastic waste on University of California campuses and said they are recruiting students to join the cause.

• A student from the Student Veterans of America advocated for the creation of a student veteran representative on the USAC Council.

Agenda:

• UCPD Lt. Kevin Kilgore said students 18 years old or older do not have to wear a helmet when riding an electric scooter, but they must be operated correctly in order to avoid injury.

• The council allocated a total of $2,901 from Contingency Programing to both USAC and non-USAC entities, including $1,250 to the Flying Samaritans at UCLA, $1,250 to Team Hepatitis B Virus, and $401 to the USAC Office of the President.

• The council voted to support and add UCLA to a McGill University joint fossil fuel divestment support letter, which calls on the universities named in the letter to reduce fossil fuel consumption.

• The council voted to utilize surplus funds to support an Academic Affairs Commission initiative which gives students the option to apply for money to purchase textbooks.

• The council approved a resolution against any public charge effort that attempts to discourage immigrant communities – specifically Asians, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders – from accessing welfare programs because of fear of being denied a green card. The council also addressed how public charge efforts would adversely affect other immigrant communities on campus.

Reports:

• President Robert Blake Watson said the Office of the President is hosting the Student Leadership Association of California this weekend at UCLA, which will host various student governments, senators and institutions. He added that tomorrow his office is meeting with Residential Life officials regarding gender inclusivity in housing. His office also created a new USAC logo.

• Facilities Commissioner Lily Shaw said her office is hosting Disabilities Awareness Week next week, which focuses on celebrating disability and spreading visibility.

• Campus Events Commissioner Tara Steinmetz said her office is having a free film screening of “Us” on Saturday. She added her office is hosting a panel called “Getting Clitorit” to talk about and highlight female sexuality. She also added her office plans to host a screening of “Midsommar” on Halloween night.

• Transfer Student Representative Isabel Carmen Oraha said her office is working on a pamphlet to showcase transfer-specific opportunities on campus.

• Student Wellness Commissioner Mihika Sridhar said her office was able to add an additional menstrual hygiene dispenser in Powell Library. The Fall CalFresh Enrollment Day & Basic Needs Fair will be starting Monday, she added.