USAC recap – June 30

The Undergraduate Students Association Council is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Council meetings take place biweekly on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. during the summer 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:

• Associated Students UCLA restaurants plan to increase takeout food options and reduce seating capacity to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, said ASUCLA undergraduate representative Arsh Gupta. Greenhouse, a restaurant at the Ackerman Student Union, will close permanently, while other stores will gradually reopen, Gupta added. ASUCLA plans to work with USAC and the Graduate Students Association to organize events in support of Black Lives Matter, Gupta said.
• UCLA Housing should take students’ increased financial burden into consideration when they return this fall, said Graham Smith, a fourth-year environmental science student.

Special Presentations:

• UCLA Housing staff representatives presented changes to on-campus housing in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. The price of double occupancy rooms will stay the same, while the price of single occupancy rooms will decrease, UCLA spokesperson Sarah Quinn said. UCLA will fill around 57% of its maximum capacity on the Hill this fall due to safety concerns, while other University of California campuses are expected to fill up to 80%, said Peter Angelis, the assistant vice chancellor of housing and hospitality services. Angelis added that maintenance and construction costs for Centennial Hall and Olympic Hall – scheduled to open in fall 2021 – prevent UCLA Housing from further reducing rent rates. UCLA Dining will also hire fewer students this fall due to reduced staffing needs, Angelis said.
• USAC Finance Committee chair David Minasyan said FICOM is encouraging student organizations to use recyclable materials in place of single-use plastics.
• The Green Initiative Fund allocated $45,000 to ASUCLA and Black student organizations to address Black student issues, said Facilities Commissioner Sachi Cooper.
• ASUCLA Director Roy Champawat presented the planned 2020-2021 USAC student fees budget, anticipated to be $9,012,072 in total.

Agenda:

• The council approved a resolution calling on UCLA to support international students facing heightened challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing financial assistance and guidance on visa policies. The resolution also called on the Academic Senate to provide academic accommodations to international students, such as accepting internet connectivity issues as an excuse for missing assignments or exams.
• The council approved a resolution calling on Chancellor Gene Block and Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael Beck to restore funding for a recently defunded English as a second language tutoring program. Project Students for Progress in Employee Language Learning Project, known as Project SPELL, worked with undergraduate students, graduate students and UCLA service employees to provide ESL tutoring.
• The council approved a resolution endorsing ACA 5, which would revoke the ban on affirmative action in admissions at California public universities.
• The council appointed Kristen Soares, a fourth-year environmental science student, as TGIF representative.
• The council appointed Elizabeth Tanner, a fourth-year ecology, behavior and evolution studies student, as TGIF representative.
• The council appointed Cindy Nguyen, a third-year cognitive science student, as a Campus Programs Committee representative.
• The council appointed Elizabeth Orkeh, a second-year psychobiology student, as a CPC representative.
• The council appointed Jeremy Guiman, a third-year anthropology student, as a CPC representative.
• The council appointed Kylie Kim, a second-year biology student, as a CPC alternate representative.
• The council appointed Simran Athwal, a third-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student, as a Community Activities Committee representative.
• The council appointed Caroline Huynh, a third-year computational and systems biology student, as a CAC representative.
• The council appointed Michael Huang, a fourth-year biology student, to the CAC.

Reports:

• President Naomi Riley said her office is working with UCLA Housing and the UCLA administration to compile a list of resources for students. She added that UCLA created a Black Resource Center on campus and discussed the center in a town hall meeting Wednesday. Riley said she met with Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Monroe Gorden to discuss the Los Angeles Police Department’s use of Jackie Robinson Stadium.
• Internal Vice President Emily Hong Van Luong said her office helped develop the USAC Off-Campus Housing Guide. She added that Assistant Vice Chancellor of Campus Life Mick Deluca asked her to join his working group to discuss strategies for public health ambassadors.
• External Vice President Aidan Arasasingham said his office is working with the Afrikan Student Union to discuss UCLA’s relationship with LAPD, Jackie Robinson Stadium and People’s Budget LA. He added a petition demanding LA City Councilmember Paul Koretz vote to divest from police and reinvest in community services has gathered more than 600 signatures. Arasasingham said his office is working with state senators to discuss state proposals to implement affirmative action in university admissions.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Christina Read said the Bruin Consent Coalition will work with UCLA Campus Assault Resources & Education, the Academic Affairs Commissioner’s office and the Cultural Affairs Commissioner’s office to discuss sexual violence.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Breeze Velazquez said her office is working with the AAC and the SWC on a new project educating students on Title IX restrictions and sexual assault.