AS Senate Recap – 1/22/25

text by News Director

27 January, 2025

This recap first appeared in the January 27 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 their latest meeting on January 22, 2025.


Photo credit: AS Senate Facebook

 

  • You’ll get the chance to vote on constitutional amendments in a special winter election. The Senate is proposing four new constitutional amendments that concern lock-in fees, the size and structure of the Senate, clarification of the AS President and Internal Vice President’s powers, and scheduling extensions for elections. Senator Dan Siddiqui said if the amendments pass, they would go into effect at the start of next quarter, in time for the upcoming Spring Elections. Read more about the amendments below. 
  • We have some more information on LinkedIn Learning, a $30k proposal left in limbo due to contractual issues. According to AS President Nayali Broadway, the money has not been spent, just allocated. However, this meant that at the January 15 meeting, the BlueLight Tower proposal could not be solely funded from the same High Impact Project Proposal Fund. In an email to KCSB News, President Broadway said roadblocks emerged after combining two contracts: a current one that covers staff and faculty, and a new one that would provide LinkedIn Learning to all students. She believed that if the contracts were not combined, “students would have had access to LinkedIn Learning for free quite a while ago.”
  • The Senate passed the following bills, resolutions, and motions:
        • This resolution requests the administration to give the Senate more information about the status of the Ocean Road housing project; quarterly updates and a timeline for the project’s completion; and more. It also requests the creation of a town hall early next quarter. The Ocean Road housing project is slated to provide 540 housing units and 360 rental units for faculty and staff.
        • What did the authors say?
          • Senator Enri Lala: “The Ocean Road project…is shrouded in mystery.”
          • Senator Taylor Iden: “Students deserve to know what’s going on, especially with a project of that scale.”
      • A Resolution To Update Article V of the Associated Students’ Constitution (Siddiqui – Iden)
        • This resolution introduces a constitutional amendment that would increase the approval threshold for new student fees and for fee reaffirmation. The new fees, including fee increases, would have to be approved with a 75% majority; previously, 50%+1 was needed for fees put on the ballot by petition, while 66% was needed for both fee increases and fees put on the ballot by the Senate. Reaffirmation, the reapproval of existing fees, would require a 66% majority instead of the current 50%+1.
        • What did the authors say?
          • Senator Siddiqui: “We collect the highest fees in the entire United States – more than any other student government – and what exactly do we give our students in return?”
          • Senator Iden: “In terms of student impact, this could potentially be one of the greatest things we could pass as a Senate.”
      • A Resolution To Update Article VII of the Associated Students’ Constitution (Siddiqui – Iden)
        • This resolution introduces a constitutional amendment clarifying the duties of the AS President and of the Internal Vice President. It more clearly outlines the President’s responsibilities in “deal[ing] with all student affairs.”  It also requires Senate approval for the President’s appointees for their Cabinet of Advisors. Regarding the IVP, it adds more duties like “administering all payments (honoraria)” and “all financial matters within  the Association.” 
      • Motion to have a special election for the Associated Students in Winter Quarter 2025.
      • Motion to fully fund AIISA’s Jackson Hunt “Some of All Parts” Art Gallery Installation funding request of $1250  from the Seal Quarter fund.
      • Motion to enter a closed session discussion on the acquisition of local Isla Vista businesses & properties to expand the Association’s impact on the community.
  • The Senate tabled the following bills and resolutions:
    • A Resolution To Update Article VI of the Associated Students’ Constitution (Siddiqui – Iden)
      • This resolution introduces a constitutional amendment that changes the structure of the Senate. Some proposed changes: reduce the number of Senators, get rid of the On- and Off-Campus positions in favor of an “At-Large” Senator role, introduce academic divisions into the Letters & Science Senators (ex. A Senator could represent the Social Sciences division).
        • Senator Leah Khorsandi reiterated that the current large number of Senators can potentially dampen progress: “Have you ever heard the expression ‘too many cooks in the kitchen?’ I fear that, perhaps, is what’s happening now.”
      • During an informal vote, the majority of Senators voted in favor of the following structure: 8 – Senators at Large, 4 – College of Letters and Science, 1 – Engineering, 1 – College of Creative Studies, 2 – Transfer Senators, 2 –  International Senators. 
    • A Resolution To Update Article X of the Associated Students’ Constitution (Khorsandi – Gerson – Lala)
      • This resolution introduces a constitutional amendment that would allow for a “reasonable and timely extension” for the spring elections, pending ⅔ approval from the Senate and Elections Board, with guidance from the AS Executive Director. Currently, the elections must be done by Week 5, which raised concerns that campaigning would overlap with Passover, a major Jewish holiday, thus preventing some Jewish students from running.
    • A Bill To Dissolve The A.S. Public Safety Commission & The A.S. Student Initiated Recruitment And Retention Committee (Siddiqui – Singh)
      • This bill dissolves these two entities in order “to free up their resources and capital to be used by the Senate for projects to benefit the campus community.” Senator Siddiqui said that the Executive Vice President for Local Affairs already covers the responsibilities of the AS Public Safety Commission.
    • The legislation above was all tabled for one week.

Access this week’s AS Senate agenda (which includes their bills and resolutions) using your student email here. You can see last week’s agenda here. Meetings are typically 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.

Posted in News, AS Senate