USAC Recap – Sept. 29

The Undergraduate Students Association Council approved a letter in solidarity with a teaching assistant who was a part of a June 2024 pro-Palestine vigil and is now facing student code of conduct charges during its Sept. 29 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 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 comment:

• Samita Parija, the chapter chair of CALPIRG Students, said the chapter’s lead campaign is advocating for sustainable food packaging at the 2028 Olympic Games – which will be hosted at UCLA – including compostable cups and straws. The organization is also running five other campaigns, Parija said, such as its ‘Waste is Out of Fashion’ campaign to reduce waste from fast fashion production in Los Angeles, and a new voters project to educate students on the upcoming midterm election. CALPIRG is also running campaigns to decrease hunger and homelessness in LA County, remove toxins from plastic food packaging and protect public federal land from development by private companies, Parija added.

Funding:

• The council allocated $15,893 from the Contingency Programming Fund for two USAC entities and 41 non-USAC entities.

Special presentation:

• Jessica Alexander, the Student Union Programs Division Manager at ASUCLA, presented an introduction of their programs. She encouraged collaboration with student organizations and USAC through their free programming, which supports venue costs, services, promotions and logistics. Alexander highlighted some previous collaborations – including Massage Mondays and the World Cup watch party with UCLA Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars.

Appointments:

• The council appointed Emery Lee, a third-year statistics and data science student, to the Finance Committee as Vice Chair for the 2026-27 academic year.
• President Jayha Buhs Jackson appointed Abdullah Shaik to the IT Steering Committee for the 2026-27 academic year.
• The council appointed Joshua Sitoy, a fourth-year neuroscience student, to the Student Initiated Outreach Center for the 2026-27 academic year.
• The council appointed Divine Oludimu, a fourth-year political science student, to the Committee on Data, Information Technology and Privacy for the 2026-27 academic year.
• The council appointed Omar Syed, a first-year political science student, to the Academic Senate Legislative Assembly for the 2026-27 academic year.
• The council appointed Diana Raya Perez, a fourth-year labor studies and political science student, to the Student Initiative Outreach Committee for the 2026-27 academic year.
• The council appointed Hesma Valdez, a fourth-year labor studies and sociology student, to the Campus Retention Committee for the 2026-27 academic year.
• The council appointed Austin Buranapan, a fourth-year political science student, to the ASUCLA Communications Board for the 2026-27 academic year.
• The council appointed Jocelynn De La Trinidad, a third-year political science student, to the Academic Senate Undergraduate Council for the 2026-27 academic year.
• The council appointed Sophia Manavi, a third-year sociology student, to the Academic Senate Legislative Assembly for the 2026-27 academic year.
• The council appointed Katie Chan, a second-year neuroscience student, to the Academic Senate Legislative Assembly for the 2026-27 academic year.

Officer reports:

• Buhs Jackson said in her written report that her office had a meeting to discuss ASUCLA trademarks and licensing impact on ASUCLA entities and students. Buhs Jackson said she attended the first AI Committee meeting and discussed the UC administration’s plan to increase AI usage by giving more AI-free resources to students. The committee believes that because there is no university-wide AI policy, it can collaborate with Buhs Jackson’s office and the Academic Affairs Committee to shape UCLA’s policy and get feedback from students, she added.
• Internal Vice President Gabi Trujillo said in her written report that she met with Dashew Center, USAC and Graduate Student Association leadership to discuss concerns about international students’ work permits being revoked. She added that she plans to organize a Bruin Bash safety initiative with the Cultural Affairs Commission after hearing student concerns about safety and line management. She also said she met with Unión Centroamericana at UCLA regarding supporting the Latinx Success Center, conducted Appointment Review Committee interviews and began interviewing for hiring.
• External Vice President Cecilia Choy said in her written report that she officially hired all of her office’s directors and staffers, and released a statement on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s veto of Assembly Bill 713 and the Opportunity for All Act. She said her office is also working to sign on to a letter with the UC Student Association for the resignation of Regent Jay Sures. She added that she met with Federal Government Relations at UCLA to discuss H-1B visas and international student issues and met with the Dashew Center to understand more about how she can help advocate for international students on campus. Choy said she also had a meeting with Jack Feng, the Graduate Students Association external vice president, and UC Berkeley’s academic senate to plan International Student Advocacy Day.
• General Representative Evan Salazar said in his written report that applications for his office have closed and tabling for USAC at the Enormous Activities Fair and Meet the Hill was successful. Salazar added that he wrote a letter condemning the Assembly Bill 713 veto and attended the Community Service Commission’s Servocacy Fest, he said.
• General Representative Pranaya Vijay said in her written report that she tabled at the USAC Open House event. Vijay added that the General Representative 2 Director applications were extended, but she is now finishing up interviews and filling director positions. She said she tabled at Dribble for a Cure – an annual fundraising event on campus where students dribble basketballs with UCLA men’s and women’s basketball players – on behalf of her office and USAC to support pediatric cancer research and advocacy efforts.
• General Representative Susie Turner said in her written report that her office had a successful open house and she is tabling the Latinx Welcome on Thursday.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Angela Ledesma-Grattarola did not update her written report.
• Campus Events Commissioner Salem Walsh said in her written report that Bruin Bash and EAF were successful and that there will be an upcoming CEC screening event, speaker event and fall concert. She also said she received approximately 300 applications across all departments.
• Community Service Commissioner Maya Gheewala said in her written report that her office co-hosted Volunteer Day with the Volunteer Center and held Servocacy Fest – a tabling event tailored toward service and advocacy organizations located in Wilson Plaza – on Sept. 28. Servocacy Fest had approximately 400 attendees, around 100 more than the previous year, Gheewala added. She also said the commission’s general retreat was held on campus, which brought together directors and leadership from the 35 service projects they oversee. Gheewala said applications are open for the Community Service Transportation Fund, Supplemental Fund for Service and Community Service Mini Fund.
• Cultural Affairs Commissioner Divine Trewick said in her written report that her office will have a debrief meeting to better plan for lines at Bruin Bash and crowds at EAF.
• Facilities Commissioner Paige Zwerner said in her written report that she met with individuals from BruinHub and the Disabled Student Union to discuss exploring a new space for the Lily Shaw Disability Cultural Center program. She said she also had a meeting to discuss facilities improvements to BruinHub – individual, partly enclosed pods for temporary rest located in John Wooden Center – for accessibility and potential after-hours use. Zwerner also said the Green Initiative Fund met for the first time and that fund guidelines will be posted to its website when the fund’s staff are back in office.
• Financial Supports Commissioner Corea Kim said in her written report that lab coat rentals are now available to be picked up by students via the office’s program. She added that she attended USAC Open House and is conducting office interviews.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Daniela Castro said in her written report that she is currently planning the commission’s biggest fall event, Healthcoming, and has booked Wilson Plaza for Oct. 22. She added that the Peer Support Lounge – the commission’s office – is open.
• Transfer Student Representative Ashley Ma said in her written report that she conducted six Appointments Review Committee interviews and tabled at EAF, Meet the Hill, USAC Open House and Transferpalooza. She also said she co-hosted the Afrikan Student Union Black Transfer Social with Afrikan Student Union Transfer Coordinator Stephanie Okafor.
• International Student Representative Charbel Chehade said in his written report that he had an interview with the Daily Bruin regarding international students’ work authorizations being paused during their stay in the United States. Chehade added that he scheduled meetings with his Student Organizations, Leadership and Engagement advisor to discuss upcoming responsibilities, priorities and next steps for the year.

Agenda items:

• The council unanimously approved a letter in solidarity with Amed Galo Lopez, a teaching assistant who was in a June 2024 pro-Palestine vigil and is facing disciplinary charges from the Student Conduct Committee Hearing Panel for allegedly disrupting foot traffic.
• The council unanimously approved a letter condemning the veto of Assembly Bill 713, which aimed to provide undocumented students at California higher education institutions the ability to work on-campus jobs.
• The council unanimously approved a USAC Appointments Quarterly Transparency Report template for the 2026-27 academic year.