On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 7:15 p.m., the meeting opened with acknowledgements of absent senators before moving into public forum and new business.
Elections Director Diya Baskaran informed the senate of the special elections happening in the following weeks which aim to fill the following positions: Vice President of Finance, Elections Director, Personnel Director, First Time College Student Director, Non-Traditional Student Director, Transfer Student Director, two College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences senators and one School of Public Policy Senator.
A major portion of the meeting focused on a presentation by Executive Director Asha Nettles regarding student leader hiring, appointments and accountability procedures. Nettles introduced a draft framework intended to formalize and clarify appointments process for non-elected student government positions, including directors and staff roles that receive stipends.
Under this project, all non-elected positions would be publicly posted for at least seven calendar days before application deadlines. Job postings would include position titles, summaries of responsibilities, qualifications, application instructions and contact information for supervising elected officials. Nettles said applications would be distributed through the Associated Students of the University of California, Riverside (ASUCR) communication channels, including the organization’s website, social media pages and campus-wide email newsletter.
Nettles explained that the reforms are intended to improve transparency and equitable access to student government opportunities. Rather than relying on informal recruitment or internal file-sharing systems, all applications would be centrally hosted on the ASUCR website with detailed job descriptions and office information.
Another key proposal discussed during the meeting would move to start the hiring process for incoming staff within the next two weeks. Nettles said this timeline would help maintain student engagement and allow the incoming president and vice presidents to recruit staff before students commit to internships or other leadership opportunities during the summer.
The meeting concluded with a brief senator report from Senator Jeevan Rao before adjourning the meeting at 7:35 p.m.
