AS Senate Recap – 11/20/24

This recap first appeared in the November 25th edition of the KCSB News Weekly Newsletter.

The AS Senate is a group of elected student representatives which serves as the policy-making body of Associated Students. Every Wednesday at 6:30 PM, the AS Senate convenes to pass bills and resolutions, hear reports from Boards, Committees, and Units (BCUs), and hold public forum.

KCSB’s Joyce Chi brings you a recap of what went down at their meeting on November 20, 2024.

The Senate votes to recognize Raíces de mi Tierra as a BCU.

• The Senate established Raíces de mi Tierra as a BCU. The group, whose name translates to “Roots of My Land,” is dedicated to performing Mexican folklórico dance and has been around for over thirty years. They sought BCU status mainly in recognition of their work in preserving cultural heritage on campus. The group has also been facing financial difficulties in recent years, which members said limited their ability to purchase new costumes and to continue outreach and advocacy work at local schools. BCU status would grant them guaranteed funding, although Raíces’ co-chairs agreed not to be paid honoraria for this year.

• People packed the room and spoke during public forum in support of this bill. (As Off-Campus Senator Paolo Brinderson said: “This is one of the first meetings where there’s more people in the room than there are Senators, which is amazing. This is the whole point.”)

• • • • Members and supporters of Raíces de mi Tierra discussed how the group was open to people of all backgrounds; how it provided them a safe space and a home on campus; how their time with Raíces deepened their connection to their culture and family; why dance was a form of resistance against colonization; and why UCSB, a Hispanic-serving institution, should be giving them more support.
    • Though most Senators voted in favor of the bill, some expressed hesitation at granting BCU status only to Raíces de mi Tierra, when many other campus organizations want the same recognition. Another concern was that this bill would be a short-term fix for a wider, systematic issue of campus organizations not having enough funding.
      • The final vote was as follows: 17 Yeses, 1 No, and 4 Abstentions.

• The Senate passed the following bills, resolutions, and motions:

• • • A Bill to Create the A.S. Raíces de mi Tierra
    • Motion to fully fund OSA [Office of the Student Advocate] funding request with an exception for giveaways.
      • The OSA requested a total of $5,000 for things like honoraria, tabling, and workshop supplies.
    • Motion to bundle and approve all minutes and allocations.

• The Senate tabled the following bills and resolutions:

• • Omnibus Legal Adjustments Bill
    • This bill enacts changes pertaining to specific BCUs in the AS Legal Code, as sought by those organizations: Community Affairs Board, Environmental Affairs Board, Trans and Queer Commission, Book Bank Commission, Commission on Disability Equity, and Environmental Justice Alliance.
    • This bill was tabled for one week because it makes bylaw changes.
• The Senate approved appointments, resignations, and removals for the following organizations: Global Gaucho Commission, Creative Media Unit, Transfer Student Alliance, and Finance Committee.
  • These can be seen at the bottom of the Senate agenda.

Access last week’s AS Senate agenda (which includes their bills and resolutions) using your student email here. Meetings are held each week at the Flying A Room of the University Center (Main Floor) throughout the quarter, aside from Week 10. You can also watch live and past meetings on Facebook here.