This post was updated Oct. 8 at 10:19 p.m.

The Undergraduate Students Association Council started the fall quarter by discussing beginning-of-the-year events and hiring plans.

USAC is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Council meetings take place in person at the Ackerman Student Union’s Bruin Viewpoint Room and on Zoom every Tuesday at 7 p.m. and are open to all students. Students can find the links for meetings on the agenda posted on the USAC website or watch a livestream on the USAC Live! channel on YouTube.

Public comment:

• Eliana Judith Sisman, a 2022-2023 USAC general representative, said she has noticed antisemitic trends in certain spaces on campus. Despite commending the vast majority of the council for their support, Sisman said it’s crucial to continue working toward inclusivity and equity.
• Clara Castronovo, the chair of California Public Interest Research Group at UCLA, said that over the past year, CALPIRG worked on several campaigns, including ones to protect the oceans and phase out single-use plastics in Amazon shipping. Castronovo added that with the start of fall quarter, the group will be starting other campaigns, including a project to oppose fast fashion.
• Nataly Villaseñor, the vice chair of CALPIRG at UCLA, said more than 200 members signed up to pledge during the organization’s recent recruitment drive. Having presented in 50 classes at UCLA and reached almost 1,000 people, Villaseñor said their goal is to recruit as many individuals as possible to help with ongoing campaigns.

Funding:

• The council allocated $11,406 from Contingency Programming to one USAC entity and 28 non-USAC entities.
• The council allocated $4,980.23 from the Supplemental Fund for Service to two Community Service Commission entities and five non-CSC entities.

Special Presentations:

• Chloe Garton, the director of UC Relations in the external vice president’s office, presented a recap of the UC Regents meeting held in mid-September. During the meeting, the Investments Committee showed its highest return on investments over the fiscal year, Garton said. Over the second day of the conference, the Finance and Capital Strategies Meeting discussed demolishing Gayley Towers in 2024 and adding 545 new beds, with 350 set aside to be allocated to low-income students, she added.
• Fernando Perez presented changes to and reminders about the USAC hiring process. He said in order to receive stipends this year, Associated Students UCLA Human Resources must be able to verify the student’s eligibility to work. In addition, students may only receive one stipend, as opposed to several across different offices, and must be paid a minimum of $40 biweekly or $250 quarterly. Perez added that students can be given volunteer positions should they not be eligible to become staff and encouraged officers to show appreciation for volunteers through available discounts, gift cards and meal vouchers.

[RELATED: Gayley Towers to be redeveloped into affordable co-living apartments]

Appointments:

• The council appointed Christopher Ramsey, a second-year mathematics/economics student, to the Campus Programs Committee.
• The council appointed Erina Ghazarian, a fourth-year sociology student, to the Community Service Mini Fund.
• The council appointed Kassidy Anne Patron, a third-year sociology student, to the Student Initiated Outreach Committee.
• The council appointed Aatmi Mehta, a second-year public health student, to the Academic Senate Committee on Library and Scholarly Communications.
• The council appointed Harvind Grewal, a third-year political science student, to the Academic Senate Legislative Assembly.
• The council appointed Israa Shamseldin, a second-year human biology and society student, to the Academic Senate Committee on Planning and Budget.
• The council appointed Aiden Rubinstein, a third-year philosophy student, to the Academic Senate Committee on Planning and Budget.
• The council appointed Ryan Factora, a fourth-year human biology and society student, to the Campus Retention Committee.

Officer Reports:

• President Naomi Hammonds said her office presented at the UC Council of the President’s meeting and prepared for the office’s meeting with UC President Michael Drake. Hammonds added that she met with Noor Nakhaei, the president of the Graduate Student Association, to discuss issues on campus faced by both undergraduates and graduate students.
• Internal Vice President Megan Law said two committees in her office talked to student organizations at the Enormous Activities Fair to understand their needs and potential grievances. In addition, she said she is currently working on planning the annual ASUCLA T-shirt contest.
• External Vice President Eva Jussim said her office is collaborating with the Los Angeles City Department of Planning on a possible housing incentive program.
• General Representative 2 Gabby Lasry said in her written report that she is working on designing graphics to promote the General Representative internship on Instagram. In addition, she said she is working with the Academic Affairs Commission to plan Midterm Stress Relief Week.
• General Representative 3 Jonathan Valenzuela Mejia said he emphasized the importance of receiving Latino students’ input on the Hispanic-serving Institution Initiative during meetings with Daniela Cortez, the student liaison with the HSI Initiative at UCLA. He added that he plans to meet with UC Berkeley’s USAC equivalent to determine opportunities to collaborate.
• Academic Affairs Commissioner Sujana Sridhar said she attended the Filipino student welcome event and the Native American student welcome event. She added that she met with potential sponsors for Midterm Stress Relief Week.
• Campus Events Commissioner Mason Miller said over the next couple of weeks, students can attend screenings of “Foe” at the Landmark Theater, “Nowhere” at the James Bridge Theater and “Cat Person” at the Landmark Westwood.
• Community Service Commissioner Chia Ying Wong said Servocacy Fest would take place at Wilson Plaza on Oct. 4, featuring over 35 student groups.
• Cultural Affairs Commissioner Alicia Verdugo said she is collaborating with groups such as Samahang Pilipino to create a gallery for Hispanic and Filipino American Heritage months that showcases Latino and Filipino student artists.
• Facilities Commissioner Evan Curran said in his written report his office met with UCLA Transportation to discuss the Bruin U-PASS transit pass and accessibility of the BruinAccess Van.
• Student Wellness Commissioner Jennis Kang said in her written report that she worked with UCLA Housing and other administrators to discuss COVID-19 resources.
• International Student Representative Adam Tfayli said he attended the UC International Student Coalition meeting. He added that his office is working with Counseling and Psychological Services to host a support event for students affected by the events in Libya, Morocco and Armenia.
• Transfer Student Representative Thyra Cobbs provided a report but could not be heard on the recording of the meeting.
• General Representative 1 Katie Pool’s written report could not be accessed.