The ASUCD Senate meeting was called to order at 6:15 p.m. on Oct. 6, followed immediately by the establishment of the quorum with seven out of the 11 senators present.
First, Julie Jung, a second-year political science major, was sworn in as ASUCD’s newest senator.. Jung previously worked directly under ASUCD president Alex Lee as his deputy chief of staff. The motion to confirm Jung as a new senator was unanimous. Jung’s platform included tackling the issue of food security on campus and increasing student amenities. Jung said she would try to start a video-series program with Aggie NOW to promote food security on campus.
Next, the senate held several presentations from community individuals and campus groups.
Terry Whittier, a 1966 UC Davis alumni and current Davis local, gave a presentation in which he argued that UC Davis Neighbor’s Night Out should have a more political platform to allow for an open dialogue about community improvements.
Cory Vu, interim director at Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS), updated senators about on-campus mental-health services. Senator Samantha Chiang questioned Vu on how SHCS plans to expand psychiatric services on campus. Vu responded that there was talk of adding a telepsychiatry service, dependent upon student interest.
Shannon George, fourth-year human development major and coordinator for UC Davis’ Body Project, discussed the club’s new body-positivity workshop titled “Myth of the Freshman 15,” in which Body Project club members will tour dorms and promote body positivity and healthy lifestyles. Additionally, the Body Project will hold periodic workshops to focus on positive body image and resisting media influences on beauty standards.
In a presentation, Emergency Crisis Management Team director Clement Stokes urged students to download the crisis-management app and gave out free gift bags to all the senators and audience members. Each gift bag included a water bottle, first-aid kit, whistle and information about the program.
The Emergency Crisis Management Team will award similar gift bags to students who download the safety app. Stokes said that students must be prepared in case of emergencies, especially in light of recent shootings at other UC campuses.
Many new confirmations were made this week, primarily regarding vacancies for ASUCD programs.
The senate unanimously approved the appointment of a new chair of the Experimental College gardens, fourth-year Spanish and international relations double major Nick Campbell. Campbell said that, during his time as director, he hopes to increase student involvement at the gardens.
Sevan Nahabedian, third-year genetics and genomics major and a former ASUCD senator, was appointed as the new chairperson of the elections committee. This position is usually elected in the spring, but the senators felt the chair needed to be filled before upcoming elections. Working with Nahabedian as election committee vice chair is first-year design major Maggie He, who has had previous experience organizing a campaign involving over 57 candidates.
Four new internal affairs commissioners were appointed, including second-year cognitive science major Kimia Akbari, first-year political science major Ryan Gardiner, first-year political science major Oscar Cervantes and third-year political science and economics double major Jaren Gaither.
The senate then considered the status of past legislation. It was motioned and confirmed to unrefer Senate Bill #4, which amends the Underwriting, Sponsorship and Advertising (USA) committee by adding two career staff. It was called into question whether KDVS and The California Aggie were notified of being removed from the committee, to which DeAngelo said he would notify them. Senate Bill 4 was called into question and seconded.
(Editor’s note: at the time of press, The Aggie had not been contacted regarding the changes to Senate Bill #4.)
New legislation was then introduced. First, Internal Affairs Commission (IAC) chair Nick Flores and Senator Josh Dalavai proposed making a constitutional amendment to dissolve the judicial branch. Senator DeAngelo proposed an amendment to The California Aggie budget that would allow its employees receive pay in stipend form for entire fiscal year.
The senators took new unit assignments of various ASUCD programs including the Aggie Reuse store, the Coffee House and KDVS.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m.
Written by: Lindsay Floyd — campus@theaggie.org
