USAC recap – July 7

The Undergraduate Students Association Council approved its 2026-27 budget and allocated $3,038.90 from its discretionary fund to a non-USAC entity at its July 7 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., though the council will meet biweekly and virtually over the summer. The meetings are held in person at the Bruin Viewpoint Room and are livestreamed and published online. Students can access the links for the meetings and agendas posted on the USAC website or watch a livestream on the USAC Live! channel on YouTube.

Public comment:

• Avery Seaman, a rising second-year political science and statistics and data science student and chief justice of the USA Judicial Board, said USAC should increase funding to the judicial board, asking for $5,778.43 for the chief justice, $4,000 each for the associate justices and $300 for discretionary funds. He added that funding the judicial board permits the successful use of it as an institutional power, adding that budget cuts can reduce the diversity of voices on the board by limiting access for people who cannot afford to work long hours with little pay.
• Arianna Osuna, a rising fourth-year political science student and the Associate Chief Justice for the Judicial Board, said the Judicial Board is the only branch of USAC responsible for interpreting its governing documents and providing an independent check on the rest of student government. Osuna added that the board needs resources to carry out that responsibility fairly.
• Raeva Vasisht, a rising fourth-year music industry student and a representative of Students for Justice in Palestine and the UC Divest coalition, said she was suspended for two quarters for being in a parking lot on campus before a protest, adding that she was labeled a “danger to campus operations.” Vasisht added that she was later barred from campus for nine months because of her presence at a protest nearly a year earlier, during which she said she held a megaphone. She said the conduct case ultimately ended without a formal disciplinary sanction and urged councilmembers to question the presentation that Dean of Students Jasmine Rush and Interim Director of the Office of Student Conduct and Associate Dean of Students Benito Nieves showcased to the council after public comment about the student code of conduct.
• Evan Sang, a recent UCLA graduate, said he was arrested along with 20 of his peers on June 10, 2024, adding that he received notice that his case had been referred to the Office of Student Conduct and later faced the possibility of suspension at a hearing concerning an incident from about a year and a half earlier. Sang said the delay fell outside the statute of limitations for prosecuting those cases, and, while his case was dismissed by the LA courts, the situation impacted him psychologically, asking that the council keep this in mind while listening to the student code of conduct presentation.
• Zoe, a UCLA student who did not give her last name, said she was arrested in November for picketing, adding that she is in limbo about whether she will have a student conduct hearing. Zoe said she believes the student conduct hearings are arbitrary, adding that only one dean gets to make the decision. Zoe added that the student code of conduct has to be revised, stating it is unfair that the education students pay for comes down to one person’s decision.

Funding:

• The council allocated $3,038.90 from its discretionary fund to a non-USAC entity, for its Just Culture: Annual Lowrider Show and Concert event in Dickson Court, an event that brings together students and artists to celebrate Chicano and lowrider culture.

Officer reports:

• President Jayha Buhs Jackson said in her written report that applications for her office will be released, adding that her office is putting staff descriptions, outreach and strategy plans for recruitment together to hire a diverse office of students, especially transfers. Jackson added that her office’s goal is to have more than a hundred staff members, adding that she plans to table for New Student Welcome, Bruin Family Weekend and New Student Orientation.
• Internal Vice President Gabi Trujillo said in her written report that her office’s executive board has been hired and onboarded, adding that applications for staff, directors and executive positions are now open. Trujillo added that she met with UCSA and updated USAC Resolution Reports, as well as met with a USAC AAC & Faculty member to discuss lecturer rights and avenues for USAC to support faculty members.
• External Vice President Cecilia Choy said in her written report that she is starting to schedule meetings to onboard her office’s head of staff, adding that she is working on reviewing application questions. Choy said her office submitted its remaining requirements from the previous year, including materials related to graduation and the Bruin Advocacy Grant, which funds student organizations’ advocacy efforts.
• General Representative Evan Salazar said in his written report that he conducted Appointment Review Committee interviews and met with the owner of Barrio Drive – an apparel brand that seeks to uplift immigrants – and discussed how his office can collaborate with the company in the future. Salazar added that he is still in communication with Matt Harper from the Los Angeles Catholic Worker, a grassroots Catholic community that provides resources for the unhoused in Skid Row, to establish a basic needs program with them at UCLA.
• General Representative Pranaya Vijay said in her written report that she appointed the rest of her executive team and is finalizing office structure changes and hiring documentation. Vijay said that she started reaching out to mutual aid organizations to express interest in collaborating. She added that she met with Victoria Copeland and Sara Wilf to discuss USAC collaboration in pushing forward Assembly Bill 2212 or the HEAR Survivors Act, which would require campuses to update Title IX definitions to address tech-related sexual violence, which she will present at the next meeting.
• General Representative Susie Turner said in her written report that she is working on the safety and procedures quiz through the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Turner added that she met with CARE to promote the Secure the Sip initiative, during which free Nightcap scrunchies, drink covers and drink test strips will be provided to students to prevent drink spiking.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Angela Ledesma-Grattarola said in her written report that she met with the graduate student association senator and UCSA president, alongside the IVP and Office of the President, adding that she met with the IVP specifically to express faculty concerns about lecturer labor rights.
• Campus Events Commissioner Salem Walsh said in her written report that she held meetings to organize Bruin Bash.
• Community Service Commissioner Maya Gheewala said in her written report that she connected with the On-Campus Housing Council – a body of student representatives from each resident’s association – to set up a meeting later in July to discuss opportunities for collaboration between councils and opportunities for outreach and promotion. Gheewala added that she met with the internal finance team to discuss a stronger system for tracking CSC’s internal budget and discuss potential revisions to guidelines, such as new workflows for Community Service Transportation – a fund that aids UCLA community service organizations that travel for their work – and Supplemental Fund for Service, a program established to help students pursue service initiatives, that would allow more automatic tracking of one’s application status.
• Cultural Affairs Commissioner Divine Trewick did not update her written report.
• Facilities Commissioner Paige Zwerner said she is continuing to work on filling her office, adding that she submitted her interview questions for applicants to the Green Initiative Fund – a program established to fund student-initiated sustainability projects and events on campus – to HR. Zwerner said she is working with the North Westwood Neighborhood Council to push for the city to address pedestrian infrastructure needs based on the NWWNC’s walk audit, adding that most suggestions have been accepted.
• Financial Supports Commissioner Corea Kim said in her written report that she finalized HR materials and plans for the hiring process. She added that she’s working on a new Financial Transparency Viewer, a live link that will be updated throughout the quarter to make the USAC budget more comprehensive and transparent for students. The viewer was initially expected to be completed by June 2025 but remained unfinished as of February, with outdated budget data and no commission-specific financial information.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Daniela Castro said in her written report that applications to join her office have closed, adding that she is currently interviewing for her executive board. Castro added that she has chosen her assistant commissioner and chief of staff.
• Transfer Student Representative Ashley Ma said in her written report that she reviewed application materials for 19 director candidates and has 11 interviews scheduled.
• International Student Representative Charbel Chehade said in his written report that he has continued preparing for his role by completing the required modules to help him understand the expectations and responsibilities of the position. Chehade added that he is preparing to select a team.

Special presentations:

• Interim Director of the Office of Student Conduct and Associate Dean of Students Benito Nieves presented the Office of Student Conduct Presentation to USAC on behalf of the Office of Student Conduct, explaining the office’s role in conduct cases and the procedures it follows. Nieves said the interim code allows conduct hearings to proceed with panels of one to five members. He added that the previous code required three to five panel members, which meant hearings could be rescheduled when a panelist became unavailable.

Agenda items:

• The council unanimously approved the USAC budget for the 2026-27 academic year.
• Trujillo said she met with UCSA about her resolution calling for the retroactive removal of “Incomplete” grades and accompanying permanent notations from undergraduate transcripts. Trujillo said she proposed working with UCSA to advance the resolution’s call to remove “Incomplete” grades and permanent transcript notations. She added that they discussed developing a broader campaign addressing UCLA’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and potentially raising the issue at the September UC Board of Regents meeting.
• Gheewala said she put forward a request to change USAC bylaws by removing three organizations from CSC’s list of affiliated organizations and adding four new ones. She added that organizations apply to be on the list each year and are evaluated on their current projects, as well as how CSC could support them. Gheewala said the bylaw changes are based on the growth and evolution of CSC, adding that they are trying to expand the number of service organizations they can support with their funding.