USAC Recap – Nov. 3

The Undergraduate Students Association Council approved guidelines for a textbook assistance program supported by a $50,000 grant and heard concerns about a community service funding denial at its Nov. 3 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. Students can find meeting agendas on the USAC website and watch meetings on the USAC Live! YouTube channel.

Public comment

• Darcy Tang, a co-director of Khmer Outreach, Retention, and Education – a student program providing mentorship, tutoring and college preparation to Khmer and other underrepresented young people in Long Beach – said the program’s annual funding application was denied by the Community Activities Committee, which funds student-led community service programs. Tang said the program expects to serve more than 80 students with 43 UCLA mentors this year and asked that the funding decision be reconsidered.
• Lily Aung, KORE’s other co-director, said the committee rejected the application because half of its proposed budget supported events held at UCLA, including a college tour and College Insight Day – the program’s annual event that lets their high school mentees experience a day in the life of a UCLA student. Aung said the program had received $10,000 annually in recent years and had not been told that previous applications were approved as exceptions to the committee’s guidelines. Aung called the decision unfair, saying the budget-based assessment did not account for the program’s impact in Long Beach.
• Ethan Hui, KORE’s fiscal director, said he urged council members to consider how the funding denial would affect the students the program serves. Hui said the organization was preparing an appeal with its Student Organizations, Leadership & Engagement adviser and gathering community support. USAC President Jayha Buhs Jackson said she was willing to discuss how the council could support the representatives.

Funding

• The council approved $15,886.99 from the Contingency Programming Fund for 44 non-USAC entities.
• The council allocated $160.33 from the Student Wellness Commission Programming Fund to one non-USAC entity.
• The council allocated $4,186 from the Bruin Advocacy Grant to five non-USAC entities.
• The council allocated $1,443 from the Academic Success Referendum Fund to four non-USAC entities.
• The council allocated $1,253.13 from the Academic Affairs Commission Travel Mini-Grant Fund to four non-USAC entities.
• The council allocated $9,292.48 from the Arts Restoring Community Fund to eight non-USAC entities.
• The council allocated $9,275.31 from The Green Initiative Fund to one non-USAC entity. Facilities Commissioner Paige Zwerner corrected an earlier figure after Internal Vice President Gabrielle Trujillo pointed out a discrepancy with the allocation sheet.
• The council approved $26,221.69 from the Community Service Mini Fund for six USAC entities and 29 non-USAC entities.

Officer reports

• Buhs Jackson said her office is preparing workshops to explain how USAC works and a Nov. 6 Financial Literacy Night with the Financial Supports Commission. She said she will host Westwood Night Live – a student-produced sketch comedy and variety show – Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. and is organizing a Nov. 12 event explaining how to report hate crimes with campus safety and civil rights officials. Buhs Jackson added that her office is developing a guide on how the Olympics will affect students. She also listed her policy priorities, which she said include making changes to campus rules governing expressive activity, the Student Conduct Code, AI and protections for student government against administrative influence. Her office also plans to meet regularly with campus labor unions about their demands and ways students can support them, she said.
• Trujillo said her office will continue to advocate for the on-campus Latinx Success Center, adding that she met with administrators and student representatives about permanent funding for the center. She said she hopes to arrange further discussions with senior administrators, including the chancellor, and hold a follow-up town hall to update students on the center’s funding. Trujillo added that her office will co-host a panel featuring an immigration attorney Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. with the First-Generation Pre-Law Association, Trujillo said in her written report that her office, General Representative 2 and the Student Wellness Commission will host an End Sexual Violence town hall Nov. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Bruin Viewpoint Room, with drafted demands and coordinated presentations from campus resources. Her office and the Office of the President are also planning a Nov. 18 forum from 6 to 7:30 p.m. about UCLA’s Time, Place and Manner policies – rules governing expressive activities on campus – according to the report. The IVP office is also coordinating separate meetings with ASUCLA to discuss meal affordability and with the Student Health Advisory Committee to discuss health insurance for student workers, according to her report. She also said her office is developing a USAC budget breakdown video and financial transparency video series.
• External Vice President Cecilia Choy said her office is organizing a Nov. 10 town hall with the Mother Organization Coalition – a coalition of student organizations representing historically marginalized communities – to coordinate advocacy ahead of the UC Board of Regents meeting and collect public comments opposing the use of standardized testing in University admissions. Choy said her priorities for an upcoming meeting with UC President James Milliken include discussing standardized testing and cuts affecting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Her office is also planning a Dec. 1 basic needs farmers market with ASUCLA to help students apply for CalFresh, California’s food assistance program, she said.
• General Representative Evan Salazar said his office is seeking approval to implement a student safety initiative on UCLA Housing property. Salazar added that he is working with Bruin Dine – a student organization that redistributes surplus food to address food insecurity – to expand its resources and plans to meet with Swipe Out Hunger, a student organization addressing food insecurity through meal donations and advocacy.
• General Representative Pranaya Vijay said her office is continuing outreach for its community and personal safety classes and is considering a discussion at the LGBTQ Campus Resource Center. Vijay added that she is helping organize the Internal Vice President’s End Sexual Violence town hall and assisting student organizations with questions about accessing funding and receiving reimbursements.
• General Representative Susie Turner said her office is planning an event with the Afrikan Student Union. Turner added that she is working with JusticeLA – a coalition advocating for reduced incarceration and increased investment in community services – to use data to develop recommendations on policing practices.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Angela Ledesma-Grattarola said applications for the Academic Success Referendum Fund and Travel Mini-Grant Fund closed Nov. 3. She said the travel fund had allocated slightly more than one-third of its funding.
• Campus Events Commissioner Salem Walsh was absent and did not update her written report.
• Community Service Commissioner Maya Gheewala said the commission will host Falling into Wellness – an event offering activities and resources to help students de-stress – Nov. 9 from 3 to 6 p.m. in Wilson Plaza. She added that USAC will participate in a Nov. 20 town hall with the On-Campus Housing Council – the student government representing residents on the Hill – from 6 to 8 p.m. in Covel Commons’ South Bay room. Gheewala said at least three organizations had contacted her about problems similar to those raised during public comment and that she is reviewing Community Activities Committee guidelines and potential options for those groups. She also said the commission plans to clarify Community Service Transportation Fund guidelines after encountering applications that raised questions about eligibility.
• Cultural Affairs Commissioner Divine Trewick said the commission’s Día de los Muertos art exhibition will remain open through Nov. 6, with an opening-night event Nov. 5. Trewick added that the commission is restructuring its JazzReggae Festival committees to pursue additional funding for the festival. She also said a representative of the Arts Restoring Community Fund will attend the FSC Financial Literacy Night to answer funding questions.
• Zwerner said students should attend a Nov. 10 public meeting about the Sepulveda Transit Corridor – Metro’s proposed rail connection between the San Fernando Valley and the Westside. Metro lists the meeting from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Westwood United Methodist Church. Zwerner also said a UCLA stormwater project received a $1.014 million design grant from Los Angeles County. The proposed project would capture runoff, reduce flooding, add native gardens and improve bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, according to UCLA Sustainability. Zwerner said her office is pursuing a sustainability curriculum requirement, expanded gender-neutral bathrooms and improvements to the Lily Shaw Disability Cultural Center. She added that her office is discussing improvements to BruinAccess – UCLA’s free transportation service for eligible people with mobility limitations – and researching paratransit services across the University. Her office is also planning a competition comparing campus waste practices and working on native plant landscaping and bike infrastructure, she said.
• Financial Supports Commissioner Corea Kim said commissions should participate in the office’s Nov. 6 Financial Literacy Night and prepare slides explaining their funding opportunities.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Daniela Castro said applications remain open for the Student Health Network – a network connecting campus health and wellness organizations with commission funding and resources, and currently includes 37 organizations. Castro said the commission will distribute free Raising Cane’s food Nov. 6 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Kerckhoff Hall Room 308 while collecting responses to a basic needs survey. Students who complete the survey can enter a giveaway, she added. The commission will also host Cookies and Crafts, a midterm de-stress event, Nov. 10 from 2 to 4 p.m., Castro said.
• Transfer Student Representative Ashley Ma said she is working with the Elections Board to encourage more transfer students to run in spring elections and discussing improvements to transfer orientation with orientation staff. Ma added that her office is planning a Nov. 20 event connecting students with campus transportation, food, mental health and other support resources.
• International Student Representative Charbel Chehade said his updates would be in his written report. They were not, at the time of publishing.

Agenda items

• The council approved the Books for Bruins application and guidelines for the 2026-27 academic year in a 13-0 vote. Ledesma-Grattarola said a $50,000 grant from ASUCLA would allow the textbook assistance program to support 335 additional students. She said the winter 2027 partnership will provide automatic refunds for selected students enrolled in Bruin One Access – the UCLA Store’s flat-rate course materials program. Students using Inclusive Access – an option allowing students to pay for individual course materials – can use the same application but would receive reimbursement by check through a separate process, she added.
• The council entered a closed session after completing its public agenda. The posted Nov. 3 agenda identified the session’s subject as a discussion about bylaws and ASUCLA-related concerns. Trujillo said in a texted message the next week’s meeting will cover the content of the executive session.