SB #78, SB #79 and SR #30 bills pass unanimously
By KRISTIN TRENT — campus@theaggie.org
Vice President Juliana Martinez Hernandez called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. on Thursday, April 28 and recited the UC Davis Land Acknowledgement.
Senator Owen Krauss then moved to confirm the Donation Drive Committee member nominees. The nominees were confirmed with no objections.
President Ryan Manriquez announced a $1,000 release from the special project fund and invited senators and registered student organizations to pitch ideas for projects.
Martinez Hernandez announced that Peer Education And Community Empowerment (PEACE) held a protest on Sunday, May 1 and encouraged those that believe in their mission to support them.
Chairperson Gabriela Tsudik announced that the Academic Affairs Commission (AAC) is endorsing candidates for the upcoming election and encourages candidates to reach out to the AAC for more information.
Chair of the Student Sustainability Career Fair Committee (SSCF) Alana Webre then presented the SSCF quarterly report. Webre shared that over 20 organizations tabled at the career fair, connecting students with career opportunities in sustainable sectors that increase future sustainability. Prior to the fair, SSCF hosted a “Career Fair Prep Workshop” which helped students prepare to interact professionally with tabling companies. During spring quarter, SSCF has used social media campaigns to highlight sustainable summer job internships. They have also held a “Professional Prep” series, which gives students tips on professionalism in the workplace.
Future plans for SSCF include electing new leadership and adding paid and volunteer positions.
The California Aggie quarterly report was then presented by current Editor-in-Chief Anjini Venugopal and incoming Editor-in-Chief for the 2022-23 school year Sophie Dewees.
Eustacio Alamilla then presented the quarterly report for Housing Advising for Undergraduate Students (HAUS). Alamilla stated that HAUS is looking to undertake more projects and will need to increase their budget to do so.
SB #78 was passed unanimously to make structural changes to the Executive Advisory Council Unit Relocation and Space Allocation Committee (URSAC).
SB #79, a revised bill to previous bill SB #73, was passed unanimously which changes the requirements of the ballot measure to change the UC Davis mascot to a cow.
SR #30, a bill to make the month of April Sexual Assault Awareness Month, was also passed unanimously.
An open forum was held in which Senator Rashita Chauhan discussed the possibility of candidates in the upcoming spring 2022 election running uncontested. Krauss requested that another special committee meeting on election reform be held in response to the current election climate. Manriquez said he remained positive, despite the possibility of an uncontested election, stating that many of the candidates are very qualified.
Martinez Hernandez proposed to increase the amount of time candidates have to collect signatures in order to be allowed to run in ASUCD elections. Extending time may allow more candidates to have their name placed on the ballot, Marinez Hernandez said.
Members of the Senate discussed the possibility of increasing voter turnout and election participation through the use of social media promotion. Senator Radhika Gawde suggested that senators use their social media to promote election turnout.
“It’s not a lack of engagement; it’s a lack of effort,” Gawde said.
The meeting was adjourned by Martinez Hernandez at 9:26 p.m.
Written by: Kristin Trent — campus@theaggie.org
