The resolution acknowledges the Tiananmen Square Massacre and calls for the divestment of the partnership between UC Davis and the Chinese Ministry of Education
By MADDIE DULEY — campus@theaggie.org
Internal Vice President Emily Barneond called the ASUCD Senate meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. on June 4.
Graduating senators then offered farewell statements reflecting on their time in ASUCD and thanking the members of the table for all of their hard work this year.
New officers were sworn in, and each took their oath of office. These officers included Ryan Manriquez as president, Juliana Hernandez as internal vice president, Devin Santiago-Vergara as student advocate and senators Sergio Bocardo-Aguilar, Rashita Chauhan, Mallika Hari, Owen Krauss, Ambar Mishra and Harris Razaqi.
The table then moved to chairperson confirmations. Each nominee introduced themselves and provided their qualifications for the role. Jared Lopez was confirmed as the Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission chairperson, Gabriela Tsudik was confirmed as the Academic Affairs Commission (AAC) chairperson, Radhika Gawde was confirmed as the Internal Affairs Commission chairperson, Ashley Chan was confirmed as the Gender and Sexuality Commission (GASC) chairperson and Stephen Fujimoto was confirmed as the Research and Data Committee chairperson.
After confirmations, the Western Workers Service Association presented their quarterly report. Elena Sanchez, the operations manager of the association, began by sharing how the association operates and what they are working to achieve.
“We organize what we call unrecognized workers,” Sanchez said. “These are folks who are working but are not technically recognized as employees of employers. These [employees] are all categories of workers who suffer the worst wages, who are oftentimes exploited at work, don’t get paid for all the hours that they work and therefore also face other conditions brought on by poverty.”
According to Sanchez, the association goes door to door in low-income neighborhoods and meets with the leaders of these neighborhoods to give them resources so that they can help strengthen their community and fight for better treatment and higher wages.
Following the presentation, the table brought up the nominees for ASUCD unit directors. Each nominee introduced themself and provided their qualifications for the role. Amanda Portier was confined as the Picnic Day unit director, Aparna Manoj was confirmed as the Mental Health Initiative unit director, Cozette Ellis was confirmed as the Whole Earth Festival unit director and Karl Zahlhaas was confirmed as the unit director for the Center for the Environment.
The elections committee then provided their quarterly report. Karolina Rodriguez, the elections committee chairperson, shared that undergraduate voter turnout was 1,786 voters, which exceeded numbers from Fall Quarter.
The Students Sustainability Career Fair Committee then provided their quarterly report. Alana Webre, the chair of the committee, shared that committee members have been working on several successful social media campaigns regarding career tips, sustainability and environmental field facts.
“We also hosted an environmentally-focused resume and cover letter workshop with Internship and Career Center advisor Lynn Fowler,” Webre said. “We’re planning our events and social media campaigns for the summer and the adjustment to in-person learning in the fall.”
The DREAM Committee then provided their quarterly report. Alejandro Cervantes, the DREAM committee chairperson, shared that the committee has created a financial assistance voucher program which will be providing about 65 student applicants with financial support.
“We [also] have partnered with the AB540 Undocument Student Center [and] partnered with a famous undocumented account on Instagram to deliver an investing and budgeting workshop virtually through Zoom,” Cervantes said.
The table then moved to legislation, beginning with SB #112, which was introduced as emergency legislation. Senator Michael Navarro provided author’s comments.
“I’m proposing this bill, so [the ASUCD budget] doesn’t get cut off during the Spring Quarter, but it extends to a full length of a year to ensure that every committee is able to use the proper money as they wish,” Navarro said.
SB #112 passed unanimously.
The table then moved to SB #99, and Senator Kabir Sahni provided author’s comments.
“This bill is structurally reforming the Bylaws in a way that’s really necessary,” Sahni said. “It’s to prevent future confusion […] by making committees an actual body to check on the status of committees.”
SB #99 passed unanimously.
The table then moved to SB #108, and GASC Chairperson Ashley Chan provided author’s comments.
“This bill is just to ensure that [sexual assault] training gets done, and this bill is expanding that training to all members of ASUCD’s legislative branch,” Chan said. “We want all legislation that comes out of the body to be coming from a place of understanding and to not harm any survivors but to empower and support them.”
SB #108 passed unanimously.
SB #109 was then brought to the table, and Senator Sahni provided author’s comments.
“This is a bill on the Student Police Relations Committee which has been dead for the past two years,” Sahni said. “This bill is just dissolving it all together.”
SB #109 passed unanimously.
The table then moved to SB #110, and Hernandez provided author’s comments.
“SB #110 is a senate bill to update the requirements of the Internal Affairs Commission and general internal restructuring,” Hernandez said. “We wanted to provide space within the IAC [Internal Affairs Commission] to be able to review spending bills.”
SB #110 passed unanimously.
The table then moved to SR #23 that calls for the divestment of the partnership between UC Davis and the Chinese Ministry of Education. Tenzin Youedon provided author’s comments.
“I want to acknowledge that tomorrow will mark 32 years since the Tiananmen Square massacre,” Youedon said. “Thirty-two years ago, the Chinese military fired tanks on peaceful demonstrators who were students calling for free speech and free press. This is one of the many human rights abuses that the Chinese Ministry of Education has worked to remove from conversations here at UC Davis.”
SR #23 passed unanimously.
The table then moved to SR #16, and Claudia Reyes-Rodriguez provided author’s comments.
“We have included a UC Davis Principles of Community statement on behalf of undocumented students,” Reyes-Rodriguez said.
The bill articulates the harmful effects of the words “alien” and “illegal” being used to refer to undocumented students and advocates for the removal of this language at UC Davis.
“The resolution includes statements on behalf of peers, who have shared how the use of these words make them feel,” Reyes-Rodriguez said. “[They] included the words worthless and visible and dehumanizing.”
SR #16 passed unanimously.
The table then moved to SR #18, and Emma Tolliver, a second-year English and political science major, provided author’s comments.
“We’re asking the ASUCD Senate to pass a resolution affirming the support of the CRC [Convention on the Rights of the Child],” Tolliver said. “By passing this resolution, UC Davis would become the first university to affirm the Convention on the Rights of the Child, making UC Davis a national leader in protecting and advocating for children’s rights.”
SR #18 passed unanimously.
SR #19 was then brought to the table, and Senator Sahni provided author’s comments.
“Since the announcement of equitable access last year, the backlash toward the program has been nothing short of consistently abundant,” Sahni said. “We’re hoping that this resolution encourages those behind equitable access to reevaluate its purpose and characteristics.”
SR #19 passed unanimously.
SR #21 was then brought to the table, and Hernandez provided author’s comments.
“This bill is requesting the Academic Senate to reform the planned educational leave program for undergraduate students,” Hernandez said.
Allowing undergraduate students planned educational leave at least three times during their academic career would give them the same opportunities as graduate students, and they should be awarded the same flexibility to achieve academic success, according to Gabriela Tsudik, the Administrative Advisory Committee chairperson.
SR #21 passed unanimously.
The table then moved to SR #22, and Juliana Hernandez provided author’s comments.
“This resolution is to gather statewide support for a grant that would allocate funds for a UC-wide open educational resource program to lessen the burden of textbook costs for students from marginalized communities and different economic backgrounds,” Hernandez said.
SR #22 passed unanimously.
Hernandez adjourned the meeting at 1:12 a.m.
Written by: Maddie Duley — campus@theaggie.org
