USAC Recap – Aug. 6

The Undergraduate Students Association Council held its first meeting of the month on Aug. 6.

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:

• External Vice President Javier Nuñez-Verdugo gave a presentation on the 2024 UC Students Association campaigns. They outlined the five annual campaigns and detailed campaign goals decided on at the UC Student Association’s Student Organizing Summit which took place between Aug. 2-4 in Pomona, California. These goals include advocating to create food security programs focused on undocumented and international students, securing an endowment to support nontraditional students, ensuring Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act compliance and securing accessible voting for students.

Appointments:

• The council appointed Alyssandra Lachica, a rising third-year philosophy and political science student, to the USA Judicial Board as an alternate member.

• The council appointed Eli Sepulveda, a rising third-year international development studies student, to the USA Judicial Board as an alternate member.

• The council appointed Natalie Kim, a rising third-year computational and systems biology and political science student, to the Community Activities Committee.

• The council rejected the reappointment of Kristen Weiss, a rising third-year political science student to the ASUCLA Communications Board.

• The council appointed Kimberly Juarez Rodriguez, a rising second-year political science student, to the Community Service Mini-Fund as its chair.

• The council reappointed Aatmi Mehta, a rising third-year public health student, as a representative to the Academic Senate Committee on Library and Scholarly Communications.

• The council reappointed Israa Shamseldin, a rising third-year human biology and society student, as a representative to the Academic Senate Committee on Planning and Budget.

• The council appointed Joseph Awad, a rising third-year psychology student, as a representative to the Academic Senate Academic Program Review Committee.

• The council appointed Averie Roice, a rising third-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student, to the Student Health Advisory Committee.

• The council appointed Sophia Wang, a rising third-year public affairs student, as a representative to the Academic Senate Executive Board.

Officer reports:

• President Adam Tfayli said he drafted a bylaw change that he said would increase efficiency and transparency within the Office Space Allocation Committee. He added that he attended a meeting with UC President Michael Drake and other student leaders to discuss campus safety the week prior. Tfayli also said he met with Associate Vice Chancellors Rick Braziel and Mick Deluca to discuss policy changes to improve campus safety as well as the Director of ASUCLA Student Services Pamela Lewis to raise his concerns regarding ASUCLA operations and how they affect students. Tfayli added that he scheduled upcoming meetings with Bounce – an event ticketing company – regarding a potential partnership and a meeting with interim Chancellor Darnell Hunt and other administrators to discuss pressing issues and initiatives.

• Internal Vice President Josh Garland said he sent out a letter to the LA Metro Board of Directors to urge Metro to ensure accessibility and equity by supporting Alternatives 4–6 of the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project. He added that he attended the UC Student Organizing Summit, is working to develop a student workers’ rights guide and contact sheet for USAC appointments, and is reaching out to the LGBTQ Resource Center and On-Campus Housing Council to become more involved.

• Nuñez-Verdugo said they have continued meetings with Braziel regarding campus safety and met with Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Health Suzanne Seplow to ensure the safety of students with disabilities in the face of possible mask bans by the UC Office of the President. Nuñez-Verdugo also said 30 UCLA students attended the UC Student Organizing Summit.

• General Representative Diego Emilio Bollo said he met with the Hispanic-serving Institution team to discuss the logistics of the Latinx Resource Center and student engagement through his office. He also said he attended the UC Student Organizing Summit.

• General Representative Tommy Contreras said he attended the UC Student Organizing Summit and met with the Student Wellness Commissioner Chiara Frank to begin planning a collaboration event on topics such as safe sex, the Campus Assault Resources & Education Program and Title IX.

• General Representative Chris Ramsey said he met with International Student Representative Syed Tamim Ahmad’s chief of staff to discuss the continuing Bruin Buddies program, in which exchange students are paired with a “buddy” at UCLA and participate in bonding activities.

• Academic Affairs Commissioner Cristopher Espino said in his written report that he met with the Hispanic-serving Institution team.

• Campus Events Commissioner Robert Hall said he is continuing to work on Bruin Bash.

• Community Service Commissioner Carolyn Wang said she is working on planning and finding venues for her office’s events.

• Cultural Affairs Commissioner Alicia Verdugo did not update their officer report for the meeting.

• Facilities Commissioner Alexandra Paul did not update her officer report for the meeting.

• Financial Supports Commissioner Nico Morrone said he has been working on restarting the subsidized replacement Bruin Card program.

• Student Wellness Commissioner Chiara Frank said she met with the Westwood Food Co-op to discuss how her office can support them in order to provide more free fresh food opportunities for students on campus and attended a meeting with the Healthy Climate Committee to talk about integrating wellness within academics. She added that she will be attending a meeting with the executive of California’s Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission to try and further integrate the work that the larger commission is doing on UC campuses.

• Transfer Student Representative Mona Tavassoli wrote in a written statement that she is working on the UCLA Transfer Student Center’s Transfer Transitions program and attended the UC Student Organizing Summit.

• International Student Representative Syed Tamim Ahmad said he started initiating the process of broadening career resources to cover international job markets, attended a meeting to discuss the FlyAway bus – whose Westwood service was discontinued in 2019 – and discussed making the U-Pass timeline more accessible for undocumented and international students. He also added that he had meetings with the Nikkei Student Union to foster collaboration and T-Mobile to set up a booth at UCLA to increase international students’ accessibility to SIM cards.

[Related: Los Angeles World Airports rejects plan to restore FlyAway bus service in Westwood]

Agenda items:

• The council approved the 2024-2026 term’s office space allocations, as determined by OSAC.

• Ahmad introduced a change to the council’s bylaws to replace the International Student Leadership Committee with a new International Student Wellness Committee.

• Tfayli introduced a change to the council’s bylaws that adds two new USAC appointments to the Data Governance Committee and Academic Technology Committee.

• Tfayli introduced a change to the council’s bylaws that includes the hiring of a new student staffer to oversee office space allocations.