The sixteenth Associated Students of the University of California, Riverside (ASUCR) Senate meeting of the school year was called to order on March 7 at 7 p.m., with President Pro Tempore (PPT) Abby Choy, Senator Kaden Ho, Senator Alex Lu, Senator Kevin Nguyen, Senator Roshan Kannan, Senator Natalie Trutalli, Senator Grace Su and Senator Amariah Peedikayil being excused. Prior to continuing with agenda items, a friendly amendment was made to Executive Cabinet (ECAB) meeting minutes, finance meeting minutes, and SB-W24-010. The motion was approved 10-0-0.
After a unanimous approval of the previous week’s meeting minutes, the podium was opened up for public forum. A representative from the School of Public Policy (SPP) came to announce that the SPP would be holding an event on Mar. 16, a food drive donating to the homeless.
Senator Ray Khan then went up to announce that it was super disheartening to see how UCR failed to encourage voter participation effectively during Super Tuesday. He explained how despite ASUCR External Affairs’ efforts to encourage voting, the lack of a cohesive university-wide policy is “disheartening” and undermines the “University’s duty to inform and engage its citizens.” Senator Khan pointed out how University of California (UC) Los Angeles, UC Irvine, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara all encouraged their students to vote, and that it is “disheartening” to witness the differences in administration.
The next item on the agenda was the Ex-Officio Reports which included the State of the Association (SOTA). During SOTA Reports, each member of ECAB would come up to the podium, or deliver a statement, detailing what their branch has worked on since their mid-quarter report. Elections Director Alexandra Arias shared updates about ASUCR elections for the upcoming spring quarter. The finalized candidate eligibility list will be created and published next week with headshots, presidential debates have been scheduled and the candidate convention location has been finalized.
After the completion of SOTA reports was Committee Reports. Finance Meeting Minutes #8 were opened and included grants for both the Nigerian Student Association and Vietnamese Student Association (VSA). The voting was stated to be a “no show” for Nigerian Student Association, and VSA asked for a grant for their “Annual Vietnamese Culture Night on April 28, 2024” where they would “showcase Vietnamese Culture through songs, dancing and creating inclusive environments for everyone at UCR.” Their grant of $1,500 was passed in a vote of 4-0-1. Finance Meeting Minutes #8 were approved by the Senate in a vote of 10-0-0.
The Senate also reviewed Finance Meeting Minutes #9 which included a grant request for Debate Society At UCR and Nigerian Student Association. The Debate Society Grant was to “pay for professional judges to host their on-campus tournament” and passed 4-0-1 at the Finance Committee. The Nigerian Student Association grant was for their “10th Annual Anniversary of NSCC, Nigerian Student Coalition Conference,” and their grant for $1,500 was approved in a vote of 4-0-1. ASUCR also implemented a Finance Bylaw Change which was passed in a vote of 4-1-1. Finance Meeting Minutes #9 were approved by the Senate in a vote of 10-0-0.
Next, the Legislative Review Committee proposed SB-W24-010 Amending Finance Bylaws. This bill would follow up on the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) resolution which was presented at the previous ASUCR Senate meeting and would further implement the policies listed on it. The bill was approved in a vote of 10-0-0 and was met with applause from the gallery.
Green Campus Action Plan presented two different pieces of legislation. The first was the Green Grant: R’Cycle Co-Op whose purpose is to support the cycling community on campus and requested $867. The grant was approved in a vote of 10-0-0. The second was Green Grant: GCAP Sustainable Menstruation which aimed to encourage students to seek out sustainable menstruation products and requested $5,000. The bill was approved in a vote of 10-0-0.
No one came to the podium for public comment.
During Roundtable and Announcements, Senator Khan thanked everyone for attending the College of Humanities Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS) Town Hall and announced an advocacy adventure event meant for pre-law students on March 13 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., hosting UC Los Angeles Law School virtually. On behalf of Executive Vice President Victoria Nguyen, who had lost her voice, Senator Khan announced that there would be no Senate meeting for week 10 and that next quarter Senate meetings will return to being held Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Senator Sreeram announced that she would be attending the next UC Regents meeting, and if anyone is interested in any of the topics for that meeting or interested in advocacy to reach out to her.
The Senate meeting adjourned at 8:41 p.m.
