The Undergraduate Student Association Council approved a letter in support of a bill that aims to accelerate student housing projects by exempting them from the California Environmental Quality Act at its March 31 meeting.

USAC is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Meetings are open to all students and take place every Tuesday at 7 p.m. The meetings are held in person at the Bruin Viewpoint Room and are livestreamed and published online. Students can access the lines for the meetings and agendas posted on the USAC website or watch a livestream on the USAC Live! channel on YouTube.

Public comment:

• Lucine Ksajikian, a fourth-year psychobiology student and the external vice president of the Armenian Student Association, said April is Armenian Genocide Awareness Month and that the organization hopes the council can spread awareness about the month to the student body. The Armenian Genocide refers to the mass killings and deportations of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Ksajikian added that the Armenian Student Association is holding an Armenian Genocide commemoration and vigil April 24. Ksajikian said the organization is hoping to get approval from Chancellor Julio Frenk to light up Royce Hall for their vigil.
• Vahag Matevosian, the secretary of the Armenian Student Association, said the organization would like the council to attend the vigil and speak in honor of those who died during the genocide. Matevosian, a second-year psychobiology student, added that he hopes USAC will put out a statement recognizing the genocide.

Funding:

• The council allocated $51,748 from the Contingency Programming Fund and to three USAC entities and 89 non-USAC entities.
• The council allocated $2,115 from the Student Wellness Commission Programming Fund to three non-USAC entities.
• The council allocated $38,630.86 from The Green Initiative Fund to two USAC entities and two non-USAC entities.

Officer reports:

• President Diego Bollo said his updates were written, but he did not update his written report.
• Internal Vice President Tommy Contreras did not attend the meeting. Averie Roice, a proxy for Contreras, said the office is planning two events to support vendors affected by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and to show solidarity with undocumented immigrants. Roice added that they are working on an April 17 summer career internship fair with the Career Center, a financial transparency report and a collaboration with the Academic Affairs Commission and BruiNecessities for their summer resource fair.
• External Vice President Sherry Zhou said her office took more than 50 students to Sacramento and Washington D.C over the past few weeks, where the UC Student Association and EVP office lobbied in support of California Assembly Constitutional Amendment 18, which would require the UC Board of Regents to appoint two student regents, rather than one. Zhou added that her office has six more Sacramento lobby trips planned for the next few months.
• General Representative Talia Davood said in her written report that the Bruin Safe Lyft Initiative, a program giving students $7 off their rides that begin or end in Westwood, will take place between 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. from April 9 to 11. She added that she met with Contreras to discuss language for an Interfaith Coalition bylaw change. Davood said she met with the Counseling and Psychological Services – which provides mental health services to students, and Campus Assault Resources and Education, an office that provides support for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence to discuss mental health support for Iranian students amid the war in Iran. She added that she is working with the UCLA Iranian Student Group to coordinate a mental health event.
• General Representative Jayha Buhs Jackson said in her written report that her “Students First” team will host a lobby day April 17, adding that her “Be Well Bruin” team is possibly planning a spring quarter event. Buhs Jackson also said Fund Our UC – the UC Student Association’s campaign to reform California’s Proposition 13 and find additional funding for the UC – plans to release an ethical divestment memo, and she is planning a GR2 x Afrikan Education Project Site Visit. She added that USAC Community Relations is planning on attending student organizations to give “USAC literary presentations.” Buhs Jackson added that the office is reaching out to women-led student organizations at UCLA in search for a keynote speaker for the Womxn’s History Event – which currently does not have a set date.
• General Representative Brett Berndt said in his written report that his office is preparing for the Tenants’ Rights Forum and Candidate Town Hall on April 7. Berndt added that the Student Renters’ Rights Day Workshop and Candidate Town Hall is a forum in which LA City Attorney candidate Marissa Roy and LA City Council candidate Faizah Malik will discuss how their roles as potential elected officials can help improve outcomes for tenants across the city. The event will take place April 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. in Kerckhoff Grand Salon.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Cristopher Espino said in his written report that his office is continuing outreach for its Spring Resource Fair. Espino added that the office is planning for its Spring Quarter Town Hall in conjunction with the Registrar, adding that they continued their partnership with the Fostering Connections Mentorship Pilot program – a six-month initiative connecting UCLA students with adolescents in LA, specifically those who have been in foster care and intend to attend college.
• Campus Event Commissioner Daniel Leal did not update his written report or share at the meeting.
• Community Service Commissioner Edison Chua was not present at the meeting and he did not update his written report.
• Cultural Affairs Commissioner Divine Trewick said in her written report that her office is currently planning spring quarter events. Trewick added that the commission will have a Word on Wednesday event in collaboration with TunedIn, an organization connecting students to music-related events, and added that her office is also hosting a Concerts Business Entertainment Panel on April 9 in the Bruin Reception Room from 6 to 8 p.m.
• Facilities Commissioner Joy Huang said in her written report that the Lily Shaw Disability Cultural Center is open from 5 to 10 p.m. every day this quarter for students to relax and have snacks, adding that the center will host weekly events.
• Financial Supports Commissioner Nico Morrone did not update his written report.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Hannah Yip said in her written report that the commission will host Bruin Health Week, an annual spring quarter initiative featuring a variety of health and wellness events, during week three. Yip added that her office will post its winter transparency report soon and the SWC Programming Fund application is open.
• Transfer Student Representative Hyerim Yoon said her written report that council will arrange a Constitutional Review Committee meeting soon with Contreras, Trewick and Keya Tanna to discuss bylaw amendments. Yoon said Transfer Student Advocacy Day is April 16 and her office is choosing concrete dates for its financial aid and college affordability-focused event for community college students. Yoon added that the office gave $500 from its budget to the commuter scholarship funded by the Financial Supports Commission, Facilities Commission and office of the Transfer Student Representative in hopes of funding 45 parking permits for students.
• International Student Representative Keya Tanna said her office has started planning an international student prom for May 8, adding that it is also planning a collaboration with the Palestinian Student Union on April 9. She added that the next Global Bites and Teaching Kitchen event will also happen in April.

Agenda items:

• The council unanimously approved a letter to Assemblymember Isaac Bryan in support of Assembly Bill 1732 – which would exempt real estate projects related to public universities from the California Environmental Quality Act, which requires developers of a property to publicly identify and work to mitigate potential environmental impacts of a development. The council urged Bryan, who is also the chair of the assembly’s Natural Resources committee, to support the bill at the next committee hearing. The council said in the letter that the bill would give students more housing options by allowing for university housing to be built faster and without unnecessary additional costs.
• The council unanimously approved an updated version of the 2026-28 Office Space Allocation Committee room allotments, as Huang said OSAC forgot to add one of the allocations to the sheet that was approved at the council’s last meeting. OSAC is a USAC committee that manages offices within Kerckhoff Hall.