A crash course on UC Davis’ student government
By VINCE BASADA — campus@theaggie.org
For new students and even those returning, the five-letter entity ASUCD may prove confusing in its purpose and its logo’s diverse presence on campus: from mental health posters to bus route maps. With a budget of $22 million in student funds for the 2024-25 academic year according to their website, it’s worth taking the time to understand both what ASUCD is and what it can do for you.
Firstly, the Associated Students of the University of California Davis (ASUCD) acts as both an employer of and governing body for the student population. It has two sides: the elected and highly appointed student officials who allocate funds and oversee the organization as a whole and the individual units that provide events and services for the student population. Its work can also be categorized into four pillars: basic needs/services, advocacy, media and social.
On the government side are the three ASUCD branches: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. Led by ASUCD President Gaius Ilupeju, the Executive Office is the highest representative for all student body affairs. Ilupeju acts as CEO, appointing students to oversee internal and external operations as well as a controller to oversee the budget. The Executive Office also oversees some special units, like the Student Advocate Office which helps represent students accused of academic misconduct.
“With multiple commercial units and numerous advocacy efforts, ASUCD engages with every aspect of the student experience at UC Davis,” Ilupeju wrote in a communication with The California Aggie. “This dynamic among others should prompt all students to inform themselves about what we do because when they provide feedback we can represent their interests and concerns better.”
The ASUCD Senate is the main student legislative body meeting weekly to allocate student funds to units and pass legislation on behalf of the student body. It consists of 12 senators, two additional voting members and a handful of other student officers.
The Aggie covers these meetings, which are also open to the general public. Additionally, senators host office hours and meetings for members of the student body to bring questions to them individually.
Under the Senate are a handful of student commissions and committees that help consult on legislation, including the Environmental and Policy Planning and Gender and Sexuality Commissions.
Senators are elected twice a year: once in week four of fall quarter and again in Week seven of spring quarter. The spring voting also serves as the election for the office of the ASUCD President and top executive officials.
The Judicial Branch consists of the five justices of the Judicial Council, tasked with reviewing legislation to ensure compliance with the ASUCD Constitution. They also occasionally hold hearings when ASUCD officials are accused of misconduct and failing to perform their duties, such as during last year’s executive impeachments.
On a daily basis, it is the service-providing units which students interact with the most. These include Unitrans, which is the bus transit system that runs throughout the city of Davis, the CoHo, which is the Coffee House in the Memorial Union that works to sell food at affordable prices, the Pantry, which is the campus food bank, the Entertainment Council, which puts on concerts and music festivals, and Picnic Day, which is a team of organizers of the yearly open house of the same name. The California Aggie is also an ASUCD unit, though it is managed and organized independently.
Units also make up the bulk of the ASUCD employee population. At the time of publication, the ASUCD vacancy site notes that over 1,000 students are employed at some level in the organization, though that number is certain to rise once the school year gets a running start and units and committees ramp up their operations.
Those interested in learning more about their student government or working for an ASUCD unit can visit the ASUCD website for more information.
Written by: Vince Basada — campus@theaggie.org
