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Davis

Davis, California

Monday, March 18, 2024

Last week in Senate

HANNAH LEE / AGGIE

ASUCD Senate meeting was called to order at 6:17 p.m. on March 9 by ASUCD Vice President Abhay Sandhu. Senator Simran Grewal was absent and recorded as an abstention on all voting records. Senator Matthew Yamaguchi left before the meeting adjourned.

First, the creators of a new mobile app called Marble, which was pitched as a way for campus groups to have their events and happenings be more visible, spoke to the Senate members. The creators asked for a way to be able to table on campus without paying large fees.

After that, representatives from the Bike Barn came to give a unit report. They stated that the Bike Barn will be losing three managers this Spring Quarter, so they are working hard toward preparing employees for leadership roles. The Bike Barn also advertised its garage sale from May 8 to 10 and its orientation bike sales to parents and incoming freshmen.

The Office of Advocacy and Student Representation (OASR) then gave its report. One of its more recent projects has been placing sexual assault resource posters in bars downtown. Only two bars said no — KetMoRee and Beer Shoppe, with a representative of the Beer Shoppe claiming to OASR that a sexual assault would not happen at its establishment. The OASR officers ended their report by talking about the difficulty of finding funding and mentioning ASUCD’s low $8 student fee that has not been changed for decades. Other schools reportedly have student government fees closer to $50.

External Affairs then presented awards to Sandhu and President Alex Lee.

The Senate then moved on to discuss emergency legislation. The first bill urged the UC Student Association to call on the University of California to join the IIE Syrian Consortium. The IIE Syrian Consortium helps Syrian refugees attend university. The bill passed unanimously.

The next emergency bill, after amendments changing the allocation from $2,000 to $2,500 and finally to $2,280, apportions $2,280 for OASR to send students on a lobbying trip to Washington, D.C. The bill passed unanimously.

KDVS General Manager Olivia Henderson then gave her unit report. She said that KDVS has a Spring Quarter fundraising goal of $55,000. Senator Dhaliwal asked Henderson if she might be able to help other units with fundraising since Henderson always does so well. Henderson responded that there is not enough support for this, as all KDVS fundraising is run by a graduate student and the general manager.

EC Gardens then gave its unit report. Plot renewals began in March for $35 a year. The unit is currently in discussions deciding if it needs to explicitly ban cultivating marijuana in its contract with lessees.

The Senate then adjourned for a 10 minute recess.

After returning, the senators discussed three Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) from Lee. An MOU is similar to a treaty between ASUCD and another organization. The first regarded mass emails, with ASUCD now being able to send three per quarter. The second transferred control of Cal Aggie Camp from ASUCD to Campus Recreations and Unions. The final MOU allowed ASUCD to pass a bill permitting the allocation of $150,000 for renovating portions of the East Wing of the Memorial Union (MU). All three MOUs passed unanimously.

The Senate then took up more emergency legislation that allocated $150,000 for further MU renovations. This funding would be used to renovate ASUCD-controlled spaces for commercial food use. The bill passed unanimously.

The Club Finance Council (CFC) then reported to the Senate. 68 of its 79 grant requests were funded during Winter Quarter. The CFC reiterated that it tries to remain content-neutral when choosing which events to fund.

Next, two new members were confirmed to the Aggie Public Arts Committee.

Old Legislation was then considered. Senate Bill (SB) #60 requires the Student Government Administrative Office (SGAO) to ask unit directors to report on their adoptive senators and then post those reports online. Senators Dhaliwal, Molodanof, Ruttkay and Yamaguchi voted against the bill. Senator Martinez abstained. The bill passed.

SB #62, which clarifies the role of the Board of Unit Directing Students (BUDS) and places it in the ASUCD bylaws, passed unanimously.

SB #64, which allows the purchase $286.40 worth of pizza and CoHo gift cards for students who take the ASUCD housing survey, passed unanimously.

SB #65, which allows the expenditure of $334.80 on the UC Davis Tea and Meditation Group, passed unanimously. The allocation includes a $50 donation to the Shambhala Meditation Center.

SB #66, which takes the role of unit adoption assignment from the SGAO and places it in the hands of the Senate Pro-Tempore, passed unanimously.

SB #67, which allows for the purchase of $4,472 worth of cash counting and money handling software, passed unanimously.

SB #68, which allocates $3,000 to dispose of old refrigerators and microwaves, passed unanimously.

SB #20, which makes possible temporary monetary awards to ASUCD volunteers passed unanimously after debate. Chiang argued that this was an executive project and that Senate funds should not be used on the awards. She ended up voting in favor of the bill.

SB #69, which outlines the actual requirements for the awards authorized by SB #20, passed unanimously.

The meeting adjourned at 10:24 p.m.
Written by: Kenton Goldsby — campus@theaggie.org

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