USAC recap – Aug. 19

The Undergraduate Students Association Council approved a letter in support of heavy rail alternatives for the proposed Sepulveda Transit Corridor project in its Aug. 19 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 in the Bruin Viewpoint Room and on Zoom every Tuesday at 7 p.m., though the council meets biweekly and virtually over the summer. 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:

• Eli Sepulveda, the chief justice of the USA Judicial Board, said the council reduced the Judicial Board’s funding by 50% from the previous year’s budget – which had already been reduced – and asked the council for a $5,000 budget transfer.

Funding:

• The council did not allocate any funding during the meeting.

Appointments:

• The council appointed Brett Baptist, a rising third-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student, to the Campus Programs Committee.
• The council appointed Stephanie Orozco, a rising first-year undeclared social sciences student, to the Community Activities Committee.
• The council appointed Kateryn Simon, a rising second-year pre-public health student, to the USAC Community Service Mini Fund.
• The council appointed Kristian Suazo, a rising third-year political science student,, to the Academic Senate Undergraduate Council.
• The council appointed Isaac Tin-Long Chan, a rising second-year political science and music performance student, to the Campus Programs Committee.

Officer reports:

• President Diego Bollo urged students to participate in STC’s public comment period, which ends Aug. 30. STC is a rail line currently in the planning phase that will connect the San Fernando Valley and the Westside with a station at or near UCLA’s campus.
• Internal Vice President Tommy Contreras said applications to work in the IVP office are due Aug. 22 and encouraged people to apply.
• External Vice President Sherry Zhou said vice chair positions for the UC Student Association are open and encouraged students to apply.
• General Representative Talia Davood said she met with Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Monroe Gorden Jr. to discuss creating a town hall-style meeting to connect students and UCLA administrators.
• General Representative Jayha Buhs Jackson said she has been collaborating with the offices of General Representative Brett Berndt, Student Wellness Commissioner Hannah Yip and Cultural Affairs Commissioner Divine Trewick to plan a basic needs event. She added in her written updates that she heard a special presentation from 2024-2025 External Vice President Javier Nuñez-Verdugo and would be hearing another from 2024-2025 IGNITE Policy Director Julianne Lempert. She also said first-year and transfer summer program peer counselors will put up a flyer made by her media director in dorms. Bollo and Berndt will also distribute the flyers in resource centers, she added. She also said in her written report that she created a testimonial form for student workers and is creating a “bill pitch” for Students First – an initiative that aims to advocate for basic needs programs, such as Swipe Out Hunger. She added that her team is conducting a research report for her Fund Our UC initiative, which seeks to create “a future of a student-centered, financially prosperous UC free from complicity in violence,” according to her official platform. She said she is beginning Black Minds Matter advocacy, a campaign to boost Black enrollment and retention, with a “leg proposal” and is working on a “transparency” social media post. She has a meeting scheduled with Chaitali Mukherjee, the executive director of the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center, she said in the written update.
• General Representative Brett Berndt said his office is currently interviewing applicants to fill vacant positions.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Cristopher Espino said in his written report that he interviewed applicants for director and executive board positions in his office and selected applicants. He also designated a representative to attend an administrative meeting regarding committee restructuring.
• Campus Events Commissioner Daniel Leal was not present at the meeting and did not update his written report.
• Community Service Commissioner Edison Chua was not present at the meeting and did not update his written report.
• Cultural Affairs Commissioner Divine Trewick said her office is finalizing Bruin Bash contracts, and that she is meeting with CAC directors. She added that the CAC is still in need of an Art Restoration Committee Funding Chair and a Director for Diverse City Tours, a program that provides UCLA students with free tours to culturally and historically important places in Los Angeles, according to the CAC website.
• Facilities Commissioner Joy Huang was not present, but Michael Griffin, her office’s external assistant commissioner, attended on her behalf. He urged students to participate in the public comment period for the STC project.
• Financial Supports Commissioner Nico Morrone said his office is preparing for the USA/Board of Directors funding rotation and is working on hiring.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Hannah Yip said her office is working on planning Healthcoming, a fall festival hosted by SWC. She added that she met with Nicole Presley, the senior executive director of UCLA Student Resilience and Mental Health Services.
• Transfer Student Representative Hyerim Yoon urged the council to attend her Aug. 20 meeting with Swipe Out Hunger to discuss possible collaborations in the upcoming school year. She added that her external relations team attended Sasha Renée Pérez’s swearing in to the California State Senate at Pasadena City College on Aug. 23, and she has been working on the Black Transfer Welcome event with Buhs Jackson. Yoon added that she has been working with Sofia Gevorgian, the commuter liaison, to ensure that transfer commuters are included in any projects Yoon’s office works on.
• International Student Representative Keya Tanna said she met with Student Legal Services to follow up on a previous resolution and added that her office is hiring director positions.

Agenda items:

• The council unanimously approved a letter in support of STC heavy rail alternatives, as opposed to monorail alternatives. A monorail is a system in which a vehicle travels along a single rail track, while a heavy rail train operates from a third, electrified track. According to the letter, the proposed monorail alternatives would result in slower travel times and expose riders to noise and air pollution due to stops along the 405 freeway. The letter also claimed that heavy rail alternatives, especially Alternative 4, would have the highest ridership-to-cost ratio.