This post was updated Oct. 14 at 11:23 p.m.

The Undergraduate Students Association Council allocated over $24,000 in funding and heard a presentation about resources for young people experiencing homelessness at its Oct. 7 meeting.

USAC is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Meetings take place Tuesdays every week at 7 p.m., and they are open to all students. They typically take place in person at the Bruin Viewpoint Room and are live streamed and recorded online. Students can watch the livestreams on USAC Live! or find the recorded stream on the USAC YouTube channel, which is also posted in the agenda section of the USAC website.

Public comment:

• Betty Mogollon, the chair of the UCLA chapter of the California Public Interest Research Group, said CALPIRG is launching new campaigns. These include “Save the Bees,” which fights for the preservation of bee populations and habitats and a “New Voters Project,” which promotes civic involvement among new and young voters statewide. Mogollon added that CALPIRG is also working on another campaign called “Zero Hunger” that repurposes food waste from restaurants and grocery outlets by giving it to those in need instead of disposing of it.

Funding:

• The board allocated $23,903.67 from the Capital Contingency Fund to two USAC entities and 35 non-USAC entities.
• The board allocated $1,011.65 from the Academic Affairs Commission to two non-USAC entities.

Special presentation:

• Miguel Toro and Elyse Moya, campus peer navigators for Safe Place for Youth, gave a presentation about SPY, an organization dedicated to ending youth homelessness. Toro said SPY provides peer support, connects students to housing and food stability resources and is involved in outreach to youth experiencing homelessness. Toro added that SPY assists students with access to CalFresh, housing vouchers and emergency aid. He said SPY has a new access center located in West Los Angeles on Lincoln Avenue and Venice Boulevard.

Appointments:

• The council appointed Emery Lee, a second-year statistics and data science student, as chair of the Undergraduate Students Association/Board of Directors Programming Fund.
• The council appointed Keilah Lim, a first-year business economics student, to the USAC Finance Committee.
• The council appointed Ananya Arun, a first-year mathematics/economics student, to the USAC Finance Committee.

Officer reports:

• President Diego Bollo said USAC and the Graduate Student Association held a rally in support of the Sepulveda Transit Corridor on Oct. 10 at Bruin Plaza. He added that City Councilperson Imelda Padilla from LA’s District 6 attended the event as a guest speaker.
• Internal Vice President Tommy Contreras said the Campus Advisory Board will be hosting a panel with Mick Deluca, the associate vice chancellor of campus life, and Steve Lurie, the associate vice chancellor of campus and community safety, at Bunche Hall on Thursday. Contreras added that Kathleen Martinez, an immigration attorney, will be speaking at an event in Kaplan Hall on Monday.
• External Vice President Sherry Zhou said her office is preparing for the election cycle through lobbying initiatives. She added that her office is also planning basic needs events and preparing for the UC Board of Regents meeting, which will take place at UCLA from Nov. 18-20. Zhou said applications for her office’s fellowship have closed, and she will begin interviewing candidates soon.
• General Representative Talia Davood said her office is hosting a resume and cover letter workshop with the UCLA Career Center but is still working to reserve a location on campus for the event. She added that her office will be partnering with Next Level Education, a tutoring company, to conduct graduate admissions workshops for varying post-secondary academic programs. Davood said she met with the Muslim Student Association to coordinate the first interfaith dinner event of the fall quarter where they will be discussing prayer spaces, dining options and religious exemptions for all groups on campus.
• General Representative Jayha Buhs Jackson said her diversity, equity and inclusion team will hand out food for Hispanic Heritage Month on Bruin Walk, adding that she is working with Financial Supports Commissioner Nico Morrone to host a financial literacy event. Jackson added that her office is hosting a Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act teach-in workshop intended to teach students about NAGPRA and its mission to mandate institutions receiving federal funding to repatriate American human remains, funerary objects and other items to lineal descendants and Native organizations.
• General Representative Brett Berndt said Transferpalooza and the USAC Student Government Open House created interest among students to participate in campus activities. Berndt’s office hired two new staffers, he added.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Cristopher Espino said his office created new positions geared toward promoting research – including a director whose role is to establish a student-led research program – which he added he has secured funding for. Espino said his office is also focusing on launching the Fostering Connections Mentorship Program where students at UCLA will be matched with young people in the broader LA area. He said his office is hiring for the Undergraduate Student Initiated Education fellowship, which empowers students to create and lead lower division seminars with faculty guidance.
• Campus Events Commissioner Daniel Leal added that his office is hosting a film screening of “The White House Effect,” a movie that explains the origins of the climate crisis within the United States. He added that his office will also host a Q&A segment with the film’s producer. Leal said his office received over 300 applications and is completing the hiring and onboarding process for new staffers.
• Community Service Commissioner Edison Chua said his office held Servocacy Fest last week, which promoted service and advocacy efforts among Bruins. Chua added that the applications to receive money through the Supplemental Fund for Service will close this Friday and urged student groups who need funding for service-related activities to apply.
• Cultural Affairs Commissioner Divine Trewick said her office is conducting a second round of hiring. She added that the Arts Restoring Community fund is available for all student organizations to apply for, with applications due Oct. 31.
• Facilities Commissioner Joy Huang said she urged students to attend the Sepulveda Transit Corridor rally. She added that the items that were donated spring quarter during the BruIN MoveOUT event can now be bought at the UCLA Thrift Store. Huang also said her office is seeking four appointments for the John Wooden Center Board of Governors.
• Morrone said he is finalizing USA/BOD Programming Fund guidelines and applications for funding, which he added will be live soon.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Hannah Yip said the Peer Support Lounge in Kerckhoff Hall Room 308 will open Thursday and encouraged students to visit for health resources, snacks and pumpkin spice lattes. She added that BruiNecessities Basic Needs gift card applications are open and the cards can be used at all ASUCLA stores. Yip also said internship applications for her office are due Friday. She added that the SWC Healthcoming will be held Oct. 15 from 3-6 p.m. in Wilson Plaza.
• Transfer Student Representative Hyerim Yoon said her office is working on creating transfer awareness training workshops. She added that she is holding a prospective transfers panel with UC Berkeley’s TSR team Friday on Zoom. She said the Nov. 2 USAC Rams Game Day discounted ticket sign-ups are available now. Yoon added that her office is also working on retention initiatives for transfer students at all USAC offices. She said her office is giving away 500 free tickets for Saturday’s Rose Bowl gameday against the University of Maryland.
• International Student Representative Keya Tanna said her office presented at the Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars town hall. She added that the first Bruin Buddies event – a program for exchange students aimed at building community – was a picnic at Janss Steps.

Agenda items:

• The council unanimously approved the USA/BOD Programming Fund application for the 2025-26 academic year.
• The council unanimously approved the USA/BOD Programming Fund guidelines.
• The council unanimously approved the Community Service Commission Mini Fund guidelines for the 2025-26 academic year.