USAC recap – March 31

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. and are open to all students. Spring quarter meetings will take place virtually on Zoom; links for the meetings can be found on the internal vice president’s Facebook page. Watch a livestream of the meetings on the USAC Live! channel on YouTube.

Public Comment:

• Skyler Wolpert, a fourth-year communication student, said she started a petition to revert the Latin honors grade point average requirement to the previous year’s requirement. Wolpert added that reducing the Latin honors GPA requirement would help students affected by the new coronavirus outbreak.

Special Presentations:

• Afrikan Student Union chairperson Alexandria Davis said there have been accounts of black students being harassed on Zoom lectures. Davis, a fourth-year African American studies and political science student, said nonstudents have interrupted Chemistry 20L, Astrology 3 and Chicana and Chicano Studies 143 lectures. UCLA spokesperson Zoya Chhabra said incidents of bias can be reported online.

• Dean of Students Maria Blandizzi said UCLA has approved a six-step plan to address the racial bias incidents.

• UCLA has contacted the professor of and a student from the Chicana and Chicano Studies 143 class. UCLA is planning to connect with students from the other two classes that were affected. UCLA has verified that the disruptors are not UCLA students.

• Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Jerry Kang and UCLA Information Technology Services are working to prevent future incidents of bias while Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications Mary Osako is monitoring this issue at other universities. UCLA has provided privacy guidance to faculty and is planning to send supplemental bias guidance to faculty.

• Election board chair Navi Sidhu said his office is consulting with the USA Judicial Board about election procedures, including the two-week extension for online campaigning. Sidhu said he does not think that Zoom is an effective platform for the meet the candidates election event. Sidhu also added that he wants to hold giveaways for about 5,000 prizes of $5 gift cards for undergraduate students who vote.

• UCLA student government services manager Jessica Alexander said UCLA student Zoom accounts have been upgraded to Zoom Pro accounts.

• On-Campus Housing Council representative Arsh Gupta said Hill government will not be continuing operations during spring quarter.

• UCLA Residential Life Assistant Director Joshua O’Connor said the Hill, including dining facilities, will remain open through spring quarter.

Agenda:

• The council allocated a total of $2,000 from the Student Wellness Commission Programming Fund to three non-USAC groups.

• The council appointed David Minasyan, a third-year economics and psychobiology student, as Finance Committee chair.

Reports:

• Internal Vice President Kimberly Bonifacio said her office is planning to use its surplus fund to create a grant for students. She added that Campus Safety Alliance meetings will continue to be held through Zoom.

• General Representative 1 Eduardo Velazquez said his office has been working with Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Monroe Gorden Jr. and Senior Dean and Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education Patricia Turner to give student input on plans for commencement. He added that his office is requesting that student-initiated graduation ceremonies will be included in planning for alternatives to the UCLA commencement ceremony.

• General Representative 3 Brandon Broukhim said his office was working with students to draft a letter in support of student workers affected by the novel coronavirus outbreak. He added his office is seeking student discounts at businesses in Westwood. He also said his office is working to extend the deadline for dropping classes.

• Academic Affairs Commissioner Naomi Riley said her office has published an online learning resources platform for students.

• Campus Events Commissioner Tara Steinmetz said her office is discussing ways to move entertainment events to online platforms, such as a yoga class on Zoom.

• Community Service Commissioner Jonathan Wisner said his office has put the Supplemental Fund for Service on hold for the month of April. He added that Project Bruin, Homelessness Awareness Week and Fight for Education Week have also been put on hold. He also said that the office’s transportation fleet has been closed.

• An SWC representative said BruiNecessities has prepared a coronavirus resource document. Read, a third-year biochemistry student, also said her office will be distributing menstrual and reproductive health resources to students in Westwood.

• Transfer Representative Isabel Oraha said her office is working to prepare resources to help incoming transfer students transition to UCLA.