USAC Recap – Nov. 21

This post was updated Dec. 5 at 11:03 a.m.

The Undergraduate Students Association Council held its third meeting of November on Nov. 21.

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 comments:

• A representative from the California Public Interest Research Group said their organization’s vice chair attended the Environmental Protection Agency National Youth Advisory Council in Washington, D.C., last week. They also said CALPIRG will organize a renewable energy awareness campaign with an interactive mural during weeks nine and 10.
• Bella Brannon, the president of Hillel and editor in chief of Ha’Am – a Jewish newsmagazine published by UCLA Student Media – voiced her disappointment in the discussion item introduced during last week’s USAC meeting to defund the Daily Bruin, as she said she believes it is an attack on student voices and is not within the power of USAC to carry out. She echoed Rachel Burnett, a Jewish student who called upon the council to pass two resolutions condemning antisemitism and Islamophobia on campus at last week’s public comment. She then invited all USAC officers to join members of Hillel at UCLA for lunch to learn more about the organization’s community. Brannon also said she supports the creation of a Latinx Success Center.
• Jacky Barragán, the editor in chief of La Gente – a Latinx newsmagazine published by UCLA Student Media – said councilmembers who questioned the passage of the resolution to establish the Latinx Success Center at the previous meeting had harmed the Latino community and asked them to apologize for their comments.
• Xitlali Gomez-Williams, a coordinator for Grupo Folklórico de UCLA, which is a traditional Mexican dance group on campus, also voiced her disappointment in the councilmembers who questioned the resolution and asked them to apologize to the community.
• Ellie Cohen, the vice president of Hillel, said she was concerned about an offhand comment made about a sound technician in the last meeting that she felt was disparaging toward Hillel members. Cohen said she also supports the creation of the Latinx Success Center.
• A member of Hillel said that she did not feel supported by the student government and that she was appalled by some councilmembers’ remarks. She also shared her support for the Latinx Success Center and its inclusion of Jewish Latinx students.
• A Mexican Jewish student said she felt councilmembers equated support of Palestine with antisemitism in discussions around the Latinx Success Center. She said she also felt excluded from Jewish spaces on campus as a person of color.
• Ryan Factora, the co-president of Samahang Pilipino, voiced his disappointment in General Representative Gabrielle Lasry and Financial Supports Commissioner Sara Broukhim, claiming they impeded discussion about establishing the Latinx Success Center by conflating race and religion.
• A student expressed support for Lasry and Broukhim and their efforts to offer Hillel’s support for the Latinx Success Center.
• Jeffry Umaña Muñoz, who is the co-chairperson of Improving Dreams, Equity, Access and Success at UCLA – an organization that advocates for students without legal status – and the internal chairperson of MEChA de UCLA, a Latinx student group, said the comments made by Lasry and Broukhim at the previous meeting were insensitive.
• Rachel Burnett, a Jewish student, said she supports the creation of the Latinx Success Center. She added that she thinks it is important for all organizations to reaffirm their support for Jewish students.

Funding:

• The council allocated $6,770 from the Contingency Programming Fund to two USAC entities and 34 non-USAC entities.
• The council allocated $1,999 from the Supplemental Fund for Service to two USAC entities and three non-USAC entities.
• The council allocated $889.48 from the Student Wellness Programming Fund to seven non-USAC entities.
• The council allocated $3,820.15 from the Arts Restoring Community Fund to two non-USAC entities.

Special presentation:

• Cameron Katz and Haley Gauer – the president and field director of Bruin Democrats, respectively – presented their club and its goals, structure and programming. They also discussed upcoming events, such as their annual career fair and alumni fundraiser.
• Internal Vice President Megan Law presented guidance documents she made to help councilmembers write resolutions.

Appointments:

• The council appointed Ella Kohler, a fourth-year sociology student, to the UCLA Academic Senate’s Committee on Undergraduate Admissions and Relations.

Officer reports:

• President Naomi Hammonds said she has held meetings with UCPD’s interim police chief, the Gender Recognition Implementation Committee, the Student Union Director and the UC Council of Presidents. She added that she has been assisting in the search for a new police chief. Hammonds said she also attended a meeting with the Muslim Student Association along with other USAC members and that her office continues to work on Seat at the Table, an initiative to increase club engagement with USAC by allowing student leaders to participate during council meetings on the president’s ceded time.
• Law said her office conducted interviews for open positions. She added that she met with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, the Student Wellness Commission and End Overdose at UCLA about training relating to overdose medication accessibility. Law said she also met with UCLA’s Jakarta Movement Chapter to discuss actions on the Sikh Heritage Month Resolution.
• External Vice President Eva Jussim said she met with housing directors from each UC campus to discuss affordability initiatives.
• General Representative Katie Pool’s written officer reports were not accessible.
• Lasry said she had offered to ask Hillel to sign the resolution to create a Latinx Success Center, an offer which General Representative Jonathan Valenzuela Mejia – who proposed the center – turned down. Lasry added that she felt Valenzuela Mejia’s refusal was denying Jewish Latinx students representation in the center and politicizing their identities, concerns she had also voiced in the last meeting.
• Valenzuela Mejia said he felt that Lasry and Broukhim were disrespecting the Latinx community through their questioning of the creation of the Latinx Success Center.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Sujana Sridhar said she met with the dean of the UCLA Anderson School of Management to further discuss a graduate school shadowing program. She added that her office is working on a rental program for prep books for graduate students. Sridhar also said the university approved an initiative her office supported to waive the cost of attending 195CE internship courses, which give academic credit for work experience.
• Campus Events Commissioner Mason Miller said his office is planning various end-of-the-quarter events, including a vinyl DJ concert Thursday, a holiday moving screening Dec. 5 and a petting zoo in collaboration with the Student Wellness Commission. He also said his office plans to host another Earth Sessions sustainability concert.
• Community Service Commissioner Chia Ying Wong said in her written report that her office is planning a nonprofit networking night for students and a holiday drive. She also said the office hosted a focus group session for the Houselessness Day of Service event.
• Cultural Affairs Commissioner Alicia Verdugo said her office finalized a theme and venue for a Hip Hop Congress event as well as the themes for Worldfest and JazzReggae Fest. She added that her office is hosting a Hotlates event with the Hip Hop Congress on Nov. 30.
• Facilities Commissioner Evan Curran did not give a spoken officer update during the meeting.
• Broukhim said she supported the creation of the Latinx Success Center but that she still shared Lasry’s concerns about Jewish Latinx students being excluded from it.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Jennis Kang said her office is preparing for the reopening of the Peer Support Lounge.
• Transfer Student Representative Thyra Cobbs said she supports efforts to open the Latinx Success Center and that she denounces efforts to slow its creation. She added that she refuses to work with Lasry and Broukhim until they have a conversation with her about statements they made related to the opening. Cobbs also said she has opened applications for the transfer student internship program, which will pair one transfer student intern with each USAC office to ensure that the needs of transfer students are being met. Her office also hopes to collaborate with International Student Representative Adam Tfayli’s office to host an international student gala in the winter, she said.
• Tfayli did not give a spoken officer update during the meeting.

Resolutions and agenda discussion:

• The council approved a bylaw change introduced by Jussim last meeting that mandates future external vice presidents to support the Bruin Advocacy Grant and Grassroots Organizers for Working Students Grants.
• Sridhar and Katie Wagman, a fellow at the Michelson 20MM Foundation – which is an LA nonprofit dedicated to textbook affordability – gave a presentation on course marking, a policy that would indicate which classes use affordable course materials and ensure a certain number of classes are provided with low costs for resources. Since UCLA does not have course marking or price transparency policies, they said that they are working on introducing initiatives to implement course marking at the school. Valenzuela Mejia offered his office’s support for these efforts.