During the quarterly Town Hall, ASUCD Presidential Candidate Radhika Gawde was questioned about whether she would withdraw from the race so a special election could be called
By KAYA DO-KHANH — campus@theaggie.org
On Thursday, May 5 at 6:17 p.m., Vice President Juliana Martinez Hernandez called the Senate meeting to order and recited the UC Davis Land Acknowledgement.
The quarterly Town Hall began, and the public asked the senators questions. The senators were asked what projects they were working on.
Senator President Pro Tempore Radhika Gawde, who is running for ASUCD president in the spring 2022 election, was questioned about running uncontested. A member of the public asked Gawde if she would be willing to withdraw from the race so that the Senate could call a special election.
“I would welcome the elections committee to take whatever actions they deem necessary,” Gawde said. “Whatever it is that the elections committee wants to do, I am completely amenable to. I’m going to defer to their judgment on that, because it’s improper for me to interfere, because I have a very strong conflict of interest since I’m running.”
Gawde also addressed the number of candidates running for Senate in the elections.
“It’s unfortunate that we are in a situation where there is an uncontested election and only seven people running for six Senate spots, but I think it’s less because of petition signatures, and I think it’s marketing and engagement failure from ASUCD and also a structural issue with the elections committee that need to be rectified for the future,” Gawde said.
The senators were then released to speak to individuals one-on-one.
Next, Kabir Sahni was confirmed as the chairperson for the Judicial Council, Trévon Mims was confirmed as an interim senator and Sasha A’Hearn was confirmed as a Donation Drive Committee member, all with no objections.
Then, Amanda Portier and Jesse Goodman, the Picnic Day Board chair and vice chair respectively, gave a quarterly report. They addressed the most recent 108th Picnic Day as a safe return to in person with record attendance at exhibits and venues. The board surpassed its sponsorship goal by $15,200 and sold most merchandise, exceeding the expected income by $2,000. For the 109th Picnic Day, the board plans on making data-driven decisions based on guest feedback.
General Manager Jaidyn Alvarez-Brigance gave the KDVS quarterly report and shared that they had a successful fundraiser week in which they made over $27,000. KDVS also held a music festival in Sacramento, which has been an annual event since 2005. Alvarez-Brigance also stated that KDVS has been stationed in Lower Freeborn Hall since 1966 and expressed the difficulties of unit relocation.
This report was followed by one from the Aggie Reuse Store in which they reiterated their goals of fostering sustainability and community, providing affordable and accessible resources as well as volunteer opportunities. The unit is also in the process of moving out of the EcoHub during summer 2022 and is focusing on the rebranding and marketing of the store with the relocation.
Aggie Studios and Creative Media gave their quarterly report, touching on Housing Week, in which they focused on humanizing the housing process through reels and alumni stories and interviews. Creative Media is currently working on promoting ASUCD elections with graphics and posters, producing merchandise for Bike Barn’s 50th anniversary from May 16 to 20 as well as promoting Lawntopia, ASUCD’s annual spring quarter concert, which is set to occur on May 19.
Unit Director Ashley Hicks gave the quarterly report for Entertainment Council, detailing past events that were put on such as open mic and movie nights showing films such as “Midsommar” and “Lady Bird.” Additionally, the Entertainment Council hosted a vinyl paint event with over 200 people in attendance, and there are plans to host a second one toward the end of the quarter. The council is also working on Lawntopia, and Hicks mentioned the struggles of having to move out of Lower Freeborn.
All previous legislation was signed according to Martinez Hernandez.
Next, the senators introduced emergency legislation starting with SB #83, which authorizes a transfer of $10,000 from the Petrichor line item (59550) to the Mid-size & Miscellaneous Shows Line Item (59500) and CA #76, which is a constitutional amendment to improve the recall process to allow for voting on a candidate to replace an elected official in the event of a successful recall. Both were moved to be considered as normal legislation.
SB #77 allocates $3,767.52 from Senate reserves to the ASUCD Pantry for the purpose of purchasing menstrual products passed unanimously.
SB #80, which works to increase the scope of potential initiatives and responsibilities that may be carried out by the ASUCD Board on Engagement & Outreach, passed unanimously.
SB #81 and #82 passed unanimously, which includes minor grammatical edits to SB #68 and SB #69.
SR #31, a resolution to urge UC Davis to recognize Eid al-Fitr as a holiday celebrated by numerous UC Davis students and implement a campuswide system for accommodations to students observing religious occurrences that occur during the academic year, passed unanimously.
The senators approved past meeting minutes, and Martinez Hernandez adjourned the meeting at 12:16 a.m.
Written by: Kaya Do-Khanh — campus@theaggie.org
