This post was updated Jan. 11 at 10:43 p.m.

The Undergraduate Students Association Council held its first meeting of 2024 on Tuesday.

USAC is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Council meetings are open to all students and take place in person at the Bruin Viewpoint Room and on Zoom every Tuesday at 7 p.m. Students can find the links for the meetings on the agenda posted on the USAC website or watch a livestream on the USAC Live! channel on YouTube.

Public comment:

• Clara Castronovo, the statewide board chair for the California Public Interest Research Group, announced CALPIRG’s new Beyond Plastics campaign, which will advocate for a stricter plastic bag ban. She also discussed progress on CALPIRG’s campaign to combat fast fashion.
• Diana Blanco, a representative from the Andean Student Alliance – which fosters community among students connected to the Andean region – requested surplus funding for three requisitions.

Funding:

• The council allocated $22,990 from the Contingency Programming Fund to one USAC entity and 59 non-USAC entities.
• The council allocated $2,126 from the Supplemental Fund for Service to three USAC-affiliated entities and two non-USAC-affiliated entities.
• The council allocated $2,146.84 from the Student Wellness Commission Programming Fund to six non-USAC entities.

Officer Reports:

• President Naomi Hammonds said she successfully hosted a series of finals week events, attended a hiring committee meeting for the dean of students, met with the UC Berkeley student government president and met with the Association of Big Ten Students to plan its winter conference. She added that she advocated for financial aid in Washington, D.C., with members of the UCLA Chancellor’s Leadership, Innovation, Networking and Knowledge cohort.
• Internal Vice President Megan Law encouraged students to nominate individuals who have helped a peer in crisis for the True Bruins R.A.I.S.E. award by Jan. 25, adding that the ceremony will take place at the end of February. She also said her office will host the Off-Campus Living Fair on Jan. 31 as well as an administrative meet-and-greet event on Feb. 21.
• External Vice President Eva Jussim said her office is searching for students to attend the upcoming Latine Student Lobby Day, adding that the application closes on Jan. 20. Attendees will participate in a free lobbying trip to Sacramento along with representatives from other UC campuses.
• General Representative Katie Pool said she met with representatives from BounceTeam, a student organization interested in assisting UCLA student startups. She added that her office is finalizing logistics for an upcoming Financial Literacy Night.
• General Representative Jonathan Valenzuela Mejia said his office is working with Transfer Student Representative Thyra Cobbs to bring Black and Latinx students together. He added that he is working on implementing the Latinx Student Resource Center Resolution, which passed during fall quarter. Valenzuela Mejia also said he met with student leaders at UC Berkeley to discuss Latinx representation and solidarity on campus.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Sujana Sridhar said her office is working on growing its campus presence, finalizing logistics for the Little Library project and securing funding for a Black History Month initiative.
• Campus Events Commissioner Mason Miller said his office is hoping to host three concerts this quarter as well as film screenings. He also announced a CEC event featuring drag queen Trixie Mattel on Tuesday.
• Community Service Commissioner Chia Ying Wong said her office is hosting a screening of the documentary “Reimagining Safety” in collaboration with the Afrikan Student Union and the Center for Community Engagement on Jan. 18.
• Cultural Affairs Commissioner Alicia Verdugo said her office will host a fundraising art gallery event in collaboration with Students for Justice in Palestine at UCLA. She added that she is finalizing logistics for the Fashion Show and Explosion event and is working with Cobbs on a Black History Month collaboration. Verdugo also said she is working with the Graduate Student Association on a resolution calling for UCLA to join the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions movement, which calls for a boycott of companies and institutions that operate within or support Israel.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Jennis Kang said her office will host a forum for students, doctors and medical professionals to discuss reproductive justice on Jan. 25.
• Cobbs said she is working on a resolution calling on USAC to support Black students. She added that she met with several transfer student organizations to discuss collaborating on cultural awareness events.
• International Student Representative Adam Tfayli said his office will host an event to help international students find internships and jobs later this month.