Senate briefs

ASUCD Senate meetings are scheduled to begin Thursdays at 6:10 p.m. Times listed are according to the clock at the April 4 meeting location, the Memorial Union’s Mee Room. The ASUCD president is not required to attend senate meetings.

Meeting called to order at 6:10 p.m.

Carly Sandstrom, ASUCD president, present

Bradley Bottoms, ASUCD vice president, present

Liam Burke, ASUCD senator, present

Armando Figueroa, ASUCD senator, present

Maxwell Kappes, ASUCD senator, present

Pamela Nonga, ASUCD senator, present

Felicia Ong, ASUCD senator, present

Alyson Sagala, ASUCD senator, present

Amrit Sahota, ASUCD senator, present

Miles Thomas, ASUCD senator, present

Tal Topf, ASUCD senator, present

Reuben Torres, ASUCD senator, present

Ryan Wonders, ASUCD senator, present

Yee Xiong, ASUCD senator, present

Presentations 

Plans for MU renovations were discussed. The two-phase plan involves a renewal of the bookstore as well as the rest of the Memorial Union.  The renovation will all take place within the current space. There will be study spaces as well as retail areas. The MU Station will become a new tech hub where there will be sales and repairs of electronics.

UC Davis Police Chief, Matthew Carmichael, spoke about the police department’s plan for keeping the school safe on Picnic Day.  There will be approximately 60 officers on campus, some from other UC campuses. Citations will be given for anyone carrying an open container of alcohol. They plan to have more students on patrol this year than ever before. They will be using Twitter as a way to keep people updated on safety issues at all times. There will also be more portable toilets outside. He asked that the senate members share the message that students cannot smoke weed on campus.

A representative from the Safe Party Initiative spoke about new ways they are getting information to students. They have new brochures and pamphlets with tips and resources for party-goers, as well as the signs of alcohol poisoning. They are also handing out Picnic Day fliers with safe party tips. The Safe Party website has been redesigned so it will change to fit whatever screen (phone, laptop, iPad) it is being accessed from. The website includes safe party resources and the numbers of all the cab services in Davis.

Former ASUCD President Rebecca Sterling gave her State of the Association speech. She said the school is strong but still has obstacles to face. They have to hire a new ASUCD Business Manager and that there are many other positions open on campus.  She said that the MU renovations would strengthen the Association and enhance the student experience. She said that she encourages senate to help unit directors empower their staff.

Felicia Ong gave a presentation on the Aggie Pride 5K. She said it is a philanthropic event to benefit the ASUCD Scholarship.  Student Assistants to the Chancellor, ASUCD, Campus Rec, Student Health and Wellness Center and campus administration are involved. To date, there are 1,556 participants registered. They have many sponsors including the bookstore, Kaplan, SF Giants, Oakland As, and the Mondavi Center.

Appointments and Confirmations

Tal Topf was appointed pro tempore.

Eric Evans was appointed Controller.

Karan Singh was reconfirmed as Lobby Corps director.

Jenna Wooster was appointed External Affairs Commission chair.

Gabriella Mendoza, Jerome Wren, Maria Lopez and Noah Wachtel were appointed Gender and Sexuality Commission (GASC) Commissioners.

Amrit Sahota and Ryan Wonders were appointed to the Health and Wellness Committee.

Armando Figueroa was appointed to the Dream Act Committee.

Yee Xiong and Reuben Torres were appointed to the Aggie Bound Outreach Committee.

Maxwell Kappes was appointed to the Campus Media Board.

Miles Thomas was appointed to the Intercollegiate Athletic Budget Review Subcommittee.

Sergio Cano was appointed commission chair of the ASUCD Scholarship Committee.

Alyson Sagala was appointed to the Aggie Public Arts Committee.

Maxwell Kappes and Miles Thomas were appointed to the URSAC Committee.

Unit Director Reports

The post office got the paperwork signed to get new computers and new scales, which are expected next month. The unit director reported that they have a new creative media-advertising plan. They want to start selling first class mailing packaging materials to increase income  (currently, they are now only available on campus in the bookstore).

Consideration of old legislation

Senate Bill 56, authored by GASC, makes it possible for candidates to run under their legal name or to run by a preferred name in lieu of their legal name after meeting with the elections committee. The candidates will hear the decision regarding the name 24 hours before the release of the official candidate list at which point they can withdraw their candidacy if they which and their name will not appear on the ballot.

Chucha Marquez said there should not be too much of a problem with the bill. Cano urged for a speedy passage. Desirae Costello said she was concerned that students have to try so hard just to be able to have their preferred names on the ballot. Sagala said she believed the senate should move forward and edit the language of the bill appropriately. The bill passed unanimously.

Senate Resolution 12, authored by Lance Hackney is a resolution to support California Assembly Bill 233 (authored by Bob Wieckowski), which would “prohibits wage garnishment for repayment of debt from student loans.”

The resolution passed unanimously.

Senate Resolution 15, authored by Lance Hackney is a resolution to support California Assembly Bill 534 (Wieckowski), which would “require an entrance and exit loan counseling program for any institutional or state-funded loans that are offered or recommended to students of public and private post-secondary educational institutions of California.” The resolution passed unanimously.

Senate Bill 74, authored by Spencer McManus, would correct references to the Judicial Codes in the ASUCD Bylaws. The bill passed unanimously.

Consideration of urgent legislation

Senate Resolution #X, authored by Hackney, supports Assembly Bill 1300. Singh said they seek to better inform first time credit card holders between the ages of 18 and 26, when credit card companies are trying to make deals with them. The resolution passed unanimously.

Public discussion

GASC chair Chucha Marquez said he appreciates the use of gender-neutral language in discussion. He also said gender neutral bathrooms are needed in the MU. Marquez also said he feels that the blood drives on campus discriminate against members of the LGBTQ community. In reference to the blood drives, Sagala said that she thinks senate should not support a business that discriminates against a specific population at school.

Public announcements

Sagala said that Filipino cultural night is in the first week of May.

Wonders said he is starting work on the pre-finals wellness fair. There will be puppies and a bounce house.

Marquez said that senators who have not yet completed safe zone training should do so.

Black Family Day is May 18 on campus.

Meeting adjourned at 1:01 a.m.

Open positions within ASUCD can be found at vacancy.ucdavis.edu. LAUREN MASCARENHAS compiles the senate briefs. She can be reached at campus@theaggie.org XXX