USAC Recap – Oct. 27

The Undergraduate Students Association Council approved two community service bylaw changes, allocated missing funding for an Elections Board position and heard a presentation on a new $3 million federal grant at its Oct. 27 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 Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in the Bruin Viewpoint Room and on Zoom. Meeting agendas are available on the USAC website, and meetings are livestreamed on YouTube.

Public comment

• Shenny Waugh, the UCLA campus organizer for CALPIRG Students, a student-led environmental advocacy organization, said students from UCLA and other UC campuses spoke at a California Fish and Game Commission hearing in support of marine-protected areas – ocean areas where fishing and other activities are restricted to protect marine life. Waugh said the campaign helped secure expanded protections near Malibu and two new protected areas off California’s coast.

Funding

• The council approved $15,900.71 from the Contingency Programming Fund for one USAC entity and 37 non-USAC entities.
• The council allocated $7,893.03 from the Supplemental Fund for Service to three USAC entities and 10 non-USAC entities.
• The council allocated $150 from the Student Wellness Commission Programming Fund to one USAC entity.
• The council allocated $688 from the Academic Success Referendum Fund to two non-USAC entities.
• The council allocated $2,669 from the Academic Affairs Commission Travel Mini-Grant Fund to seven non-USAC entities.
• The Green Initiative Fund allocated $4299.31 to two non-USAC entities.
• The council approved $1,600 in discretionary funding for the Elections Board finance director position in a 14-0 vote. President Jayha Buhs Jackson said the position was missing from the annual budget and that discretionary funding would cover it without requiring a budget amendment.

Special presentation

• Elizabeth Gonzalez, UCLA’s director of Hispanic-Serving Institution Initiatives, said UCLA received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Gonzalez said the grant will support student employment, student retention in STEM programs, workforce preparation for low-income students, and professional development for faculty and staff. Gonzalez said UCLA is expanding its work to support Black students and Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students alongside its Hispanic-serving institution efforts. She added that five-year funding commitments made under former Chancellor Gene Block to strengthen existing academic and student support programs – including the Department of Chicana/o and Central American Studies, Academic Advancement Program, Center for Community College Partnerships, Chicano Studies Research Center, as well as the Latino Policy and Politics Institute – are in their final year. Gonzalez also invited students to a Nov. 9 discussion from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. about the new $3 million grant and a Nov. 12 organizational change forum from 10 a.m. to noon. She encouraged council members to continue partnering on student town halls and provide input on faculty leadership, industry partnerships and paid internship opportunities.

Appointments

• The council appointed Sanjana Sudhir, a fourth-year psychology student, to the Transfer Leadership Coalition – a group connecting student organizations and campus leaders to advocate for transfer students – for the 2026-27 academic year.

Officer reports

• Buhs Jackson said her office is collaborating with the Mother Organization Coalition – a coalition of student organizations representing historically marginalized communities – on an event Wednesday celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and Filipino American History Month from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion. She added that her office is preparing a Nov. 6 financial literacy event.
• Internal Vice President Gabrielle Trujillo said student organizations will gather at a town hall on Wednesday at 6 p.m. to demand that UCLA permanently fund the Latinx Success Center. Trujillo said a meeting with administrators about permanent funding is scheduled for Nov. 3 at 4 p.m. and an End Sexual Violence town hall is planned for Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. in the Bruin Viewpoint Room.
• External Vice President Cecilia Choy said her office is preparing a nonpartisan voter guide covering ballot items. Choy added that her office plans to table to share voting information throughout the week and on Election Day, work with local officials on a Pauley Pavilion vote center and visit student organization meetings to encourage voting.
• General Representative Evan Salazar said his office and the Internal Vice President’s office will host a Día de los Muertos event Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Latinx Success Center. Salazar added that he is coordinating with UCLA’s Health Education & Resource Team – a campus office providing health education and harm reduction resources – to distribute fentanyl test strips and Narcan before Halloween. General Representative Pranaya Vijay said her office held its first community and personal safety seminar Monday and is working to increase attendance at these events. Vijay added that her office is consulting CARE – UCLA’s confidential support and advocacy program for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence – and other resource centers to make the sessions more trauma-informed. She said her office is also helping student organizations identify funding opportunities.
• General Representative Susie Turner said in her written report that her office completed executive staff hiring and is onboarding staff ahead of the Friday roster deadline. Turner said she tabled with AfroLA – a nonprofit news outlet covering the Black community in Los Angeles – on Sunday and is pursuing further collaboration. She added that her office is working with Mobilize LA – a civic engagement platform providing voter education and election information – to share voting and ballot proposition resources, and is partnering with the Afrikan Student Union on an upcoming event.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Angela Ledesma-Grattarola said in her written report that she is updating BruinOpp – an online database created by AAC that lists jobs, internships and scholarships for undergraduate students. She added that she plans to meet with Graduate Students Association’s Vice President of Academic Affairs Ben Heronimus, attend the Oct. 28 Latinx Success Center town hall and present at USAC’s Nov. 6 Financial Literacy Night.
• Campus Events Commissioner Salem Walsh said the commission’s Oct. 23 “Pitch Perfect” event sold out. Walsh added that the commission will screen “Jennifer’s Body” Thursday at 7 p.m. in the James Bridges Theater, with free tarot readings and candy. CEC is also preparing a Nov. 13 concert and a Nov. 18 speaker event, Walsh said.
• Community Service Commissioner Maya Gheewala said the commission will host its fall basic needs fair Nov. 3 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Bruin Plaza and Falling into Wellness on Nov. 9 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Wilson Plaza. Gheewala added that she and Buhs Jackson met with the On-Campus Housing Council – the student government representing residents on the Hill – about USAC participating in its quarterly town hall. The housing council’s president is tentatively scheduled to address USAC on Nov. 10, Gheewala said.
• Cultural Affairs Commissioner Divine Trewick said ARC applications are due Friday at 11:59 p.m. Trewick added that the commission’s Día de los Muertos art gallery will open Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. and that its Nov. 4 Word on Wednesday event will begin at 6 p.m. in collaboration with Printed Matter Society – a student organization supporting the creation and distribution of physical media. Trewick also announced a Nov. 14 trip to Thai Town and Little Armenia with the Thai Student Association.
• Facilities Commissioner Paige Zwerner said the commission will co-host a Halloween event for disabled students Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Basic Needs Center. Zwerner also announced a food waste advocacy event Thursday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Ackerman Union Room 2408 and a clothing swap Friday at 2 p.m. on Janss Steps. Zwerner added that her office is conducting a water fountain audit and developing a guide to help student organizations assess event spaces.
• Financial Supports Commissioner Corea Kim said in her written report that University Credit Union and Associated Students UCLA will host a financial wellness event Nov. 12, where commissions can table to share their funding opportunities. Kim added that her office is distributing laundry products and that she plans to meet with the Financial Transparency Committee that week. She also said she attended the Oct. 23 town hall with USAC and the Mother Organization Coalition.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Daniela Castro said approximately 400 people attended the commission’s Healthcoming event Oct. 22 despite the rain. Castro added that applications remain open for the Student Health Network – a network connecting campus health and wellness organizations with commission resources and funding. She said snacks are available in Kerckhoff Hall Room 308 and that the commission will host a Cookies and Crafts midterm de-stress event Nov. 10 from 2 to 4 p.m.
• Transfer Student Representative Ashley Ma said she met with transfer student leaders and a campus student organization adviser about club transparency efforts. Ma added that her office confirmed a Nov. 18 yoga event with UCLA Recreation and is developing a video project highlighting students’ different backgrounds and paths to UCLA.
• International Student Representative Charbel Chehade said in his written report that his office is beginning to plan Bruins Around the World, an annual event celebrating international students. Chehade said during the meeting that his office will meet with UCLA Residential Life on Wednesday to discuss collaboration.

Agenda items

• The council approved two bylaw amendments together in a 14-0 vote. The first amendment gives the Community Service Commission the authority to choose Community Service Mini Fund appointees, which was formerly the president’s responsibility. Gheewala said the change will streamline coordination because the commission already manages much of the fund’s work. The second amendment adds SPROUT at UCLA – a student organization providing STEM activities for elementary school students, and Women and Youth Supporting Each Other, a mentorship program pairing college women with middle school girls, to the commission’s list of affiliated organizations. Gheewala said both organizations already work with the commission and that the amendment formalizes their affiliations.
• The council voted 14-0 to enter executive session at 7:55 p.m. The agenda identified the session as a personnel matter.