The Undergraduate Students Association Council allocated nearly $2,000 to student organizations and appointed a new undergraduate representative to the ASUCLA Board of Directors at its June 3 meeting.

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.

Public Comment:

• Fio Fabiano, a student representative for UCLA’s Students Demand Action chapter, voiced her support for a resolution acknowledging Gun Violence Awareness Day.

Funding:

• The council allocated $1,500 from the Arts Restoring Community Fund to one non-USAC entity.
• The council allocated $217.04 from The Green Initiative Fund to two non-USAC entities.

Special Presentation:

• Pamela Cysner, a senior advisor for Student Organizations, Leadership & Engagement – which advises and supports over 1,300 campus organizations – said the office holds leadership and engagement workshops for all student organizations on campus. Cysner added that the office takes accusations of hazing and sexual harassment seriously. She also said Title IX violation reports at UCLA have increased, adding that she believes this is because students have become more comfortable reporting incidents.
• Financial Supports Commissioner Nico Morrone presented his new project, the Financial Transparency Viewer, which is is an online program that displays which organizations receive USAC funding and other related financial information. He added that he hopes to have the guidelines for the program completed by the fall. Morrone said students’ ability to view how their money is spent is critical because USAC’s over $10 million budget comes directly from student fees. He added that he believes current financial reports face transparency issues as they do not reflect pending budget transfers. He said that he believes most students do not know how their USAC fees are spent – or even that they pay them – since BruinBill only shows the general information. Morrone also said the Financial Transparency Viewer is not mandatory for all USAC offices.
• Gunnar Roth, the vice chair of the California Public Interest Research Group’s UCLA chapter, said CALPIRG raised over $6,000 to help those affected by the January 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires and acquired over 6,000 signatures for its petition to expand protections for marine areas in California. Roth added that CALPIRG hosted a benefit concert for the LA Women’s Shelter last month and a beach cleanup day for LA Oceans Day on May 6. He said CALPIRG chapters from across California went to the state’s capital to speak with California senate and assembly members to expand AB 1200 – the Safer Food and Packaging Act – which seeks to prevent harmful chemicals from being used in food packaging materials. Roth also said CALPIRG sent UCLA student delegates to Washington to lobby with congressional members about access to affordable textbooks, making waterways safe for swimming and expanding clean energy tax credits.

Appointments:

• The council appointed Vesta Mahjoub, a second-year international development studies and sociology student, as an undergraduate representative to the ASUCLA Board of Directors.
• The council appointed Sarai Rojas, a second-year political science student, as an alternate undergraduate representative to the ASUCLA Board of Directors.

Officer reports:

• President Diego Emilio Bollo said in his written report that he spoke at the Hispanic Serving Research Institute Showcase, where he highlighted USAC’s work with the Latinx community to Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt and other administrators. Bollo added in his report that he attended three UCPD police chief group interviews with Muslim, Jewish and Palestinian student leaders to address concerns related to campus safety, mental health and free speech. He also said he met with UCLA Government and Community Relations to further advocate for the completion of the Sepulveda Transit Corridor.
• Internal Vice President Tommy Contreras said his report would be written, but did not provide updates for the week.
• External Vice President Sherry Zhou said there would be a Transfer Leadership Fair on June 6 which showcased ways for transfer students to get involved with various leadership positions within student government, student media, basic needs and community service organizations.
• General Representative Talia Davood said in her written report that she is exploring bylaw changes for the Academic Affairs Commission relating to the creation of an interfaith council. She added in her written report that her office is creating a Google Form where student organizations can suggest co-sponsored events with her office. She said in her written report that she is preparing workshops for the fall quarter focused on resume building, LinkedIn advising and cover-letter writing.
• General Representative Jayha Buhs Jackson said in her written report that she spoke with the Academic Advancement Program’s offices about recent funding cuts, including to the VIP Scholars program – a 20 year partnership between UCLA and LA County schools that prepares underserved students for graduate and professional education. She added in her report that she hopes to discuss ways in which UCLA’s Time, Place and Manner policies can uphold students’ free speech with Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael Beck.
• General Representative Brett Berndt said in his written report that he met with Roth to discuss the LA28 sustainability campaign, which aims to reduce the amount of non-reusable plastic used at the 2028 Summer Olympics. He added in the report that the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project’s environmental impact report draft has been released.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Cristopher Espino said in his written report that he attended the USAC retreat and advocated for student interests in a meeting with United States Representative Raul Ruiz, who represents the 25th Congressional District of California.
• Campus Events Commissioner Daniel Leal said in his written report that his office held a series of events, including the Short Takes Film Festival on May 30 and the Bob The Drag Queen production on June 4 at the Fowler Museum.
• Community Service Commissioner Edison Chua did not provide a verbal or written report for the week.
• Cultural Affairs Commissioner Divine Trewick said in her written report that her office is planning Bruin Bash, an annual concert co-hosted by her commission.
• Facilities Commissioner Joy Huang said in her written report that BruIN MoveOUT would happen June 11, and encouraged students to donate their unneeded items. She added that students with concerns about accessibility, availability or comfort regarding study spaces on the Hill could fill out the survey available on her officer page. She also said she met with the Data Science Union, Beck, Monroe Gorden Jr. – the vice chancellor of student affairs – and Associate Vice Chancellor Suzanne Seplow, to discuss how to reform UCLA’s Center for Accessible Education, as well as BruinAccess funding, and added that they will continue these conversations quarterly. Huang said she is looking to appoint voting members for The Green Initiative Fund, the John Wooden Center Board of Governors and the Student Activities Center Board of Governors for the 2025-26 school year.
• Morrone said in his written report that he is organizing lab coat returns from quarterly rentals and wrapping up his office’s end-of-year work.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Hannah Yip said in her written report that her office coordinated workshops for transfer students about UCSHIP, a health insurance plan for UCLA students. Yip added in her written report that her office had a workshop with the Health Education and Resource Team on accessing reproductive services and gender-affirming care at the Ashe Center.
• Transfer Student Representative Hyerim Yoon said in her written report that she met with Sarah Molitoris, the associate director of the Transfer Student Center, to discuss week zero events for transfer students. Yoon also said in her report that she is collaborating with the Transfer Student Center’s leadership, the Transfer Leadership Coalition and a SOLE advisor to plan fall programming and strengthen transfer student representation within her office. Yoon added that she is planning initiatives, including theme park partnerships and game day events, and is working with the Committee Integration Program to improve cross-office collaboration. She said she also met with Espino to clarify appointment processes and expand transfer engagement, adding that she hopes to explore mental health resources for transfer students.
• International Student Representative Keya Tanna said in her written report that she interviewed with the LA Times to discuss recent decisions regarding the visas of international students, and added that her office will continue its advocacy for international students. She also said in her written report that she reached out to Pamela Lewis, the ASUCLA Student Union Services director, about funding legal aid for international students through grants.

Agenda items:

• The council appointed Bollo, Berndt and Jackson to the 2025-2026 USAC Appointments Search Committee, which recruits applicants for USAC’s various appointed positions.
• The council appointed Morrone, Davood and Jackson to the 2025-2026 USAC Budget Review Committee, which is responsible for ensuring all USAC budgets are in compliance with ASUCLA and UCLA funding guidelines.
• The council appointed Yoon, Contreras, Tanna and Trewick to the 2025-2026 USAC Constitutional Review Committee, which is responsible for reviewing and investigating the USAC constitution and bylaws.
• The council appointed Bollo, Huang, Chua, Tanna and Berndt to the 2025-2026 USAC Office Space Allocation Committee which oversees the administration of student organization office space allocation.
• The council unanimously approved a resolution calling for June 6 to be recognized as Gun Violence Awareness Day at UCLA.
• The council approved USAC’s summer schedule. Meetings will be held biweekly Tuesdays at 7 p.m. beginning June 24.