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Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Commissioner, Davis Journal of Legal Studies editor call for creation of ASUCD body at Jan. 23 senate meeting

The student government also passed several spending bills for student events and programs

 

By VINCE BASADA — campus@theaggie.org

 

ASUCD Senate Pro Tempore Dhilena Wickramasinghe called the Jan. 23 senate meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. before reading the UC Davis Land Acknowledgement.

After elected-officer and ex-officio reports, the table opened itself to public comment.

Robi Castaneda, a third-year political science and music double major and member of the External Affairs Commission (EAC), presented to the senate ways to increase accessibility to legal resources for international students. He spoke on behalf of the EAC and the Davis Journal of Legal Studies (DJLS).

“In recent days, the United States has undergone a profound political transformation that has shaken the foundations of our government, questioned our values and tested our commitment to shared human dignity,” Castaneda said.

He highlighted that some 42% of the 2024 first-year class consists of international students, noting that this statistic leaves out other student groups affected by recent events.

“This alone does not account for the amount of students who do not classify as international but are still labeled as resident aliens,” Castaneda said. “Individuals waiting [for] visa appointments, interviews or the chance to work in this country.”

Castaneda continued by citing his own personal experience as a call to action.

“While it is easy to categorize these individuals to data, it is decidedly more difficult to comprehend the face behind every number and the story behind every percentage point,” Castaneda said. “I am one of those numbers. When I was three years old, I immigrated to this country from the Philippines with my parents with nothing but the clothes on our backs and the food in our suitcases. It would take 10 years before we earned our permanent residency in this country — we were denied three times.”

Castaneda also said that immigration resources should be better known to students who share similar backgrounds.

“Many students on campus, like myself, know the struggle to find adequate immigration resources,” Castaneda said. “While our community possesses a variety of resources on campus related to immigration, it is to our understanding that not enough people are truly aware of [them].”

On top of funding existing resources, Castaneda asked the senate to create a new body specifically for immigrant students.

“The existing pool of resources is so vast and disparate that students don’t even know where to start,” Castaneda said. “As such, we would like to have a bill that puts all legal resources for international students and immigrants under a single official body, the ASUCD Immigration and Rights Commission.”

Castaneda also said he hopes that this single unified body could better connect students to resources.

“The last thing a busy student should have to worry about amidst the flurry of midterms and exams is their ability to pursue an education and stay in this country,” Castaneda said.

Castaneda was joined by DJLS Editor Avery Redula, a third-year English major, who proposed possible collaborations with the International House, the King Hall Immigration Clinic and other existing legal resources.

Several members of the table, including Senators Asif Ahmed, Zack Dollins, Amrita Julka and External Affairs Commission Chair Henry Rosenbach, echoed support for the proposed body before public comment was over.

Afterwards, the senate heard a quarterly report from Picnic Day Unit Director Mina Sarmah, a fourth-year statistics major. Sarmah told the table of plans to sell Picnic Day merchandise at the bookstore and on campus, as well as her desire to balance an uptick in corporate event sponsors with local business representation.

After a short dinner break, the table passed the consent calendar. It included Senate Bill (SB) #34, which allocates $8,000 to the ASUCD Community Development Fund for internal grants for identity-based presidential councils for community events, and SB #35, allocating $575 for the ongoing ASUCD Study Jams project.

The senate also passed two separate bills, both presented as emergency legislation due to planning delays resulting from the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

The first was SB #36, which allocates $1071.24 to Julka’s office to book a venue in the Student Community Center for the ASUCD Supporting Students event on Jan. 28. The bill passed 9-1-4, yes-no-abstain. The sole “no” vote was from Senator Mia Cohen, who had voted against a different spending bill for the event at the previous week’s meeting. At that time, Cohen cited concerns that language in the event’s description in the bill, notably the term “post-inauguration stress,” may alienate certain campus communities.

The senate also passed SB #37, allocating $116 to reserve the Quad for the ASUCD Quarterly Showcase on Feb. 28.

After a brief open forum, the meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m.

 

Written by: Vince Basadacampus@theaggie.org

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