The Undergraduate Students Association Council held its second meeting of July on Tuesday.

USAC is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Council meetings are open to all students and usually 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.

Special presentations:

• Heeya Firdaus and Ayesha Mirza, undergraduate representatives for the ASUCLA Board of Directors, gave a presentation outlining the board’s responsibilities. The presentation discussed the board’s composition, which consists of 14 individuals – who serve across the executive, finance, services and personnel committees. Mirza said the board’s priorities over the next year include preparing for the 2028 Olympics, the university’s transition to the Big Ten, strengthening relationships with campus partners and ensuring comprehensive student access to basic needs.

Appointments:

• The council reappointed Lucy Yin, a rising fourth-year computational and systems biology student, to the USAC Finance Committee as the chair.
• The council appointed Cecilia Choy, a rising second-year English, labor studies and political science student, to the Campus Safety Alliance as the vice chair.

Officer reports:

• President Adam Tfayli said he attended his biweekly meeting with Rick Braziel, the associate vice chancellor of campus safety, to discuss student arrests and how to report tips to the police. Tfayli, currently running for the co-chair position of the UC Council of Presidents, said he attended the organization’s first meeting, as well as an Association of Big Ten Students presidents’ meeting. He added that he took part in a recent meeting of the True Bruin Values Refresh Steering Committee, which is in the process of identifying and executing the new True Bruin values. Tfayli also said he plans to prepare for the upcoming athletic season by meeting with UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond.
• Internal Vice President Josh Garland said various council members discussed procedures and guidelines for the Campus Safety Alliance at a meeting of the organization. He also said that Director of UCLA Recreation Erinn McMahan would be in attendance at the Aug. 20 USAC meeting to provide updates on student use of the John Wooden Center during its renovations. Garland added that he is working with the Economic Crisis Response Team to allocate finances toward the housing relief fund.
• External Vice President Javier Nuñez-Verdugo said they spoke to several members of the UC Board of Regents about academic freedom while at July’s regents meeting. They expressed disappointment with the regents’ “under-the-table” process of passing Item J2 and have signed on to the UC Student Association’s letter opposing the item. Nuñez-Verdugo also said they drafted a resolution condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, which the council passed during the meeting.

[Related: Speakers criticize protest response, inadequate raises at July UC Regents meeting]

• General Representative Diego Emilio Bollo said he engaged in discussions during the Opportunity for All Organizing Virtual Event about the possibility of USAC lobbying for Assembly Bill 2586, which would remove restrictions on employment opportunities for undocumented students. Bollo added that he will meet with the Hispanic-Serving Institution Initiative team to begin preparations for Latine Bienvenida and to hold conversations about the HSI student liaisons and the Undergraduate Student Advisory Board for the Latinx Success Center Student Collaborative.
• General Representative Tommy Contreras said he has finished onboarding his office’s executive staff.
• General Representative Chris Ramsey said he did not have any new updates.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Cristopher Espino said his office is in the process of reviewing applications that were submitted for the Academic Senate. The commissioner has the right to appoint 26 students to committees within the senate.
• Campus Events Commissioner Robert Hall said he hopes to focus on student wellness while putting together the Enormous Activities Fair and Rec Fest so students can make the most out of the experience. He added that he has met with Assistant Vice Chancellor of Campus Life Mick Deluca, who will support Hall’s office in preparing for its annual Bruin Bash
• Community Service Commissioner Carolyn Wang said she met with the UCLA Volunteer Center to create preliminary plans for Volunteer Day 2024, which she confirmed will take place Oct. 5 as part of True Bruin Welcome. She added that she has begun reaching out to sites that would host volunteers. Wang also said she is currently resolving problems with the Supplemental Fund for Service.
• Cultural Affairs Commissioner Alicia Verdugo did not update their officer report for the meeting.
• Facilities Commissioner Alexandra Paul said she organized the Safe Parking Initiative meeting and will engage in outreach efforts with the Commuter Support & Programs Office soon.
• Financial Supports Commissioner Nico Morrone said his office is looking into a program created initially by the FSC but continued by former President Naomi Hammonds to subsidize the cost of replacing lost or damaged BruinCards.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Chiara Frank said in a written report that she met with Nicole Green, the director of Counseling and Psychological Services, to explore ways to support students during the transition back to campus, implement a community suicide safety training and to provide free online therapy regardless of University of California Student Health Insurance Plan status. Frank added in the report that she discussed initiatives to support mental health and health literacy for international students with International Student Representative Syed Tamim Ahmad.
• Transfer Student Representative Mona Tavassoli said she tabled her resolution against LA City Council’s efforts to increase funding to private security, saying the resolution is not yet ready to be voted on due to recent changes that were implemented to the city council’s motion. She added that she hopes USAC would continue efforts to promote student safety, citing a 2020 resolution to abolish UCPD as part of the council’s history in promoting student safety by finding alternative options to policing.
• Ahmad said he reached out to UCLA Residential Life to improve training for residential assistants on supporting the mental health of international students – for instance, by focusing on cultural sensitivity and expanding awareness about the challenges they face. He added that his office’s GlobalBites program, which would introduce different cuisines in a dining hall every week, would be piloted in the fall. Ahmad also said he hopes to celebrate cultural diversity through sports and is aiming to make cricket an intramural sport.

Agenda items:

• The council approved a change to its bylaws to require USAC committee appointees to submit at least one written transparency report to the council at the end of each quarter.
• The council approved signing on to the “STC4ALL Letter to LA Metro Board of Directors: ‘Letter Expressing Further Support for Alternatives 4–6 of the STC Project’” to urge Metro to ensure accessibility and equity by supporting Alternatives 4–6 of the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project. Those alternatives specifically support underground heavy rail over a monorail along the median of the Interstate 405 freeway, which would lead to lower journey times and higher passenger loads. The alternatives the council backed also would lead to a station being built at Gateway Plaza on-campus, rather than students having to walk to Westwood. The Council had previously passed a resolution supporting Alternatives 4-6 in 2023.
• The council approved signing on to a UCSA statement that condemns item J2, a recently passed policy by the UC Board of Regents that restricts academic departments from making political statements on the homepage of their websites from the lede.
• The council passed “A Resolution Condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Address to Congress and the UC’s Complicity in Funding War and Genocide.” The resolution – passed before Netanyahu’s address to Congress – condemned his appearance in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday and called on the university to divest from weapons manufacturers and address instances of racial profiling during the May 2 Palestine solidarity encampment sweep and other student demonstrations.