USAC recap – March 29

The Undergraduate Students Association Council approved a resolution endorsing an ordinance that will mitigate the impacts of plastic pollution to protect communities within Los Angeles County.

USAC is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Council meetings take place remotely every Tuesday at 7 p.m. and are open to all students. Students can find the links for meetings on the Internal Vice President’s Facebook page or watch a livestream on the USAC Live! channel on YouTube.

Public comment:

• Radha Patel, chapter chair of The California Public Interest Research Group at UCLA, said the LA County Board of Supervisors will vote on an ordinance limiting single-use plastics in Los Angeles County’s unincorporated areas in early April. She added that the ordinance is one step forward in the fight against plastic pollution.
• Maddy Jennings, a third-year ecology, behavior and evolution student, said the resolution endorsing the ordinance is necessary because plastics are unhealthy for humans and the environment.
• Dylan Mai, a second-year ecology, behavior and evolution student, said the resolution endorsing the ordinance is a significant step in combating the issue of plastic pollution and protecting human health.
• Clara Castronovo, a second-year sociology student and coordinator of CALPIRG’s Beyond Plastic campaign, said the resolution endorsing the ordinance would set a precedent for the rest of California to follow suit.
• Christian Nelson, a third-year sociology student and campaign coordinator for the CALPIRG New Voters Project, said the resolution endorsing the ordinance would build momentum for California to phase out single-use plastics.
• Katie Wagman, a first-year public affairs student and coordinator for CALPIRG’s 100% Campaign, said the resolution endorsing the ordinance is important because the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the amount of plastic waste within the environment.
• Yareli Rubio, a first-year biology student, said the resolution endorsing the ordinance is significant because plastic pollution is accumulating in the ocean at an accelerating rate.
• Michael Cuc, a fourth-year political science student, said UCLA could help limit plastic waste in Los Angeles county and address the damage of single-use plastic by approving the resolution endorsing the ordinance.

Special presentations:

• Clara Castronovo presented a resolution supporting the Ordinance Limiting Single-use Plastics in Los Angeles County Unincorporated Areas. She said many students support the resolution and CALPIRG has received more than 1700 petition signatures.

Agenda:

• The council approved the minutes from its March 8 meeting.
• The council allocated $49,248 to 53 non-USAC entities.
• The council allocated $2,550 from the Academic Affairs Commission to four non-USAC entities.
• The council approved a resolution that supports the Ordinance Limiting Single-Use Plastics in Los Angeles County Unincorporated Areas.

Officer reports:

• President Breeze Velazquez said her office is working to fix the referendum changes suggested by the University of California Office of the President.
• Internal Vice President Cassandra Gatica said her office hosted two de-stressing events during the final exams period of the winter quarter. She added that her office is highlighting student organizations on the USAC Instagram story.
• External Vice President Sarah Wang said her office is arranging logistics for Black Lobby Day in Sacramento and planning a visit to Washington, D.C. for UC Hill Day. She added that her office is working with Christian Nelson, campaign coordinator for CALPIRG’s New Voters Project, to organize voter registration drives on Bruin Walk.
• General Representative 2, Passa Pungchai, said in a written statement that her office created the requirements for the Nonresident Student Grant with the Financial Supports Commission and is preparing to allocate $30,000 to UCLA students.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Angelina Quint said her office is communicating with the Academic Senate to expand remote access and accessibility within classrooms. She added that her office met with other UC Disabled Student Unions to discuss cross-collaboration to increase dual-modality across the UC. She also said the study space committee worked to get sensors installed in the libraries to allow students to gauge how crowded the study spaces are.
• Cultural Affairs Commissioner Promise Ogunleye said their office is working on a few events for the spring quarter, including their hip-hop explosion and fashion show. She also said that her office is creating the guidelines for the community fund, which will be discussed next week during the council meeting. She added that the guidelines will be used to improve transparency.
• Financial Supports Commissioner Emily Yu said in a written statement that her office restarted the FSC Academic Materials Rental program with 80 new lab coats. She added that she and Pungchai met with Serifa de la Cruz, the Economic Crisis Response Team director, Ina Sotomayor, the Financial Aid and Scholarships director, and others to discuss implementing the Unexpected Travel Expenses Support Grant Winter 2022.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Tayloneei Jackson said in a written statement that her office is hosting events for You Belong Here Week, such as an art exhibit, beginning week 2. She added that the Student Wellness Commission Basic Needs Subsidy was improved to provide students with faster assistance.