The Senate also heard the AAC quarterly report and approved new legislation
By AALIYAH ESPAÑOL-RIVAS — campus@theaggie.org
The ASUCD Senate confirmed three new vice controllers and an interim senator at its April 10 meeting, before passing a series of constitutional amendments and legislation.
Vice controllers are tasked with aiding the head controller in the management of the annual budget and overseeing the association’s fiscal matters. The three confirmees to the position are: Trinity Chow, a fourth-year neurology, physiology and behavior major and former senator, Ashley Knauss, a third-year economics major and former vice president of the UC Davis Economics and Business Association, and Zayd Musa, a first-year computer science and economics double major.
The Senate also confirmed Noblejot Singh, a fourth-year political science — public service major, as an interim senator. He fills the seat left vacant by former Senator Asif Ahmed, who graduated last quarter.
Singh previously served as an interim senator in fall quarter 2024 and hopes to overcome academic challenges in regard to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within the academic community.
“I want to continue working with the international student representative office and working directly with Registered Student Organizations to overcome a lot of the challenges we’re having with DEI within the academic community,” Singh said. “[I also want to work on] creating that collaborative space ASUCD is supposed to be through representation, but also giving a meaningful diverse representation of those communities by having them be a part of the process.”
Legislation
Following some other business, ASUCD President Gaius Ilupeju urged senators to pass Constitutional Amendment (CA) #94, to revise the appointment system for interim elected officers.
“I think we’ve been having a lot of discussion around the hiring of interim senators this year,” Ilupeju said. “I think more so because it is the first time we ever [have] had to and been able to hire interim senators. Usually people finish the term but that’s not really the case anymore. [CA#94] adds more clarity and transparency in the process.”
The amendment was later passed unanimously.
The Senate also unanimously passed Senate Bill (SB) #69, allocating $1,129.84 to the Environmental Policy and Planning Commission for its inaugural Environmental Action Week, an initiative encompassing various events throughout the week of Earth Day to “establish better awareness of planet friendly practices in collaboration with various student organizations.” SB#70, amending the legislative transition seminar process for newly elected senators, also passed unanimously.
Afterwards, the Senate moved into consideration of old legislation. SB#68 was passed unanimously, adding a public disclosure statement to the weekly agenda of Senate meetings.
CA#95, adding two stipulations for decreasing the impeachment threshold — failure to complete legislative transition seminars and failure to complete two volunteer hours with ASUCD subordinate bodies per quarter — passed without objection as well.
The Senate also passed CA#93, seeking to amend the selection process for the ASUCD Student Advocate, but the amendment was later tabled until fall quarter, according to the ASUCD Legislation Tracker.
Other Senate affairs
Following the confirmations, the Senate heard the quarterly report from the Academic Affairs Commission (AAC).
AAC Chair Iris Chen provided updates to ongoing policies, including mandatory orientation courses and lecture capture, a standardized Artificial Intelligence policy and adding syllabi to schedule builder. The commission plans to continue student outreach and awarding ASUCD scholarships. Chen concluded her presentation by encouraging collaboration and communication between the Senate and AAC.
During public comment, La Familia de UC Davis Co-Presidents Danny Lopez, a fourth-year design and communication double major, and Tiffany Herrera, a fourth-year English and Chicano studies double major, requested funding for their second annual Queer Quinceñera event. La Familia de UC Davis is a LGBTQIA+ and Latinx community club dedicated to supporting and fostering connections for queer and Latinx students on campus.
“This event serves as a space for the LGBT students to come together and celebrate their identities and honor their journeys in a supportive and inclusive environment,” Lopez said. “[The Senate’s] partnership would not only make a significant impact on the success of this community event, but also contribute to fostering a more supportive and affirming campus environment for us.”
Gender and Sexuality Commission (GASC) Chair Tristen Dillard expressed interest in working with La Familia for the event and for future plans.
“[GASC] would love to financially contribute and just work with the event itself,” Dillard said. “Our GASC task force would love to have another project on our radar and find out the best way we can uplift you and help to contribute to the success of the event.”
The event was also adopted by Senators Solana Rodriguez and Dhilena Wickramasinghe for additional assistance.
The meeting was called to order at 6:21 p.m. and was adjourned at 7:22 p.m.
Written by: Aaliyah Español-Rivas — campus@theaggie.org
