AS Senate Recap – 1/8/25

text by News Director

13 January, 2025

This recap first appeared in the January 13 edition of the KCSB News Weekly Newsletter.

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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 January 8, 2025.

 

Gabriela Muñoz and Suditi Dadichi from the AS Food Bank discuss how they’d use CCAJJ’s budget for the Food Bank’s operations.

 

  • A campus organization may be dissolved in order to use its funds for the AS Food Bank. The Commission on Culture, Arts, and Joy Justice (CCAJJ) was established around two years ago to “enhance a campus culture of inclusion and belonging for BIPOC.” However, they have been functionally inactive, with no board members or organized events, according to a new Senate bill. This bill would dissolve CCAJJ and divert its funds – $50.3k – to the AS Food Bank. 
    • The Food Bank says they’d use the funds to better supply food options that don’t require a kitchen, are “culturally diverse,” and are suitable for gluten intolerance and vegetarians. 80% of the CCAJJ funds would go towards obtaining and distributing food, 15% towards operational costs, and 5% towards emergency funds. Read their proposal here.
    • We’ve reached out to CCAJJ, but haven’t heard back.
  • The Senate’s Parliamentarian resigned, citing time commitments. MingJun Zha previously served as a Senator, representing international students. He told us that there isn’t anyone lined up to replace him and that he expects the position to be vacant. Zha noted that Attorney General Eric Carlson could continue to offer opinions on procedure and legal code, which the AG confirmed: “This will remain an indirect form of assistance to our Senate.”
    • Zha is simultaneously pursuing a position on the Judicial Council, which adjudicates and resolves Legal Code issues. He cited his experience as a Senator, Parliamentarian, and an officer with the Global Gaucho Commission. “I plan to share my perspective on how AS conducts its operations in the JC,” he said. “And, of course, having my Wednesday 6:30 PM to 11 PM is an absolute blessing.”
    • The Parliamentarian is responsible for making sure the Senate follows parliamentary procedure (i.e., Robert’s Rules of Order), as well as “help[ing] maintain order and decency of the Senate meetings.” 
  • The Senate held a closed session to “discuss the performance of select AS entities.” Because it was held under closed session, the Brown Act says we legally can’t know which AS entities these are or what was talked about.

The Senate passed the following action items:

The Senate tabled the following pieces of legislation:

  • A Bill to Dissolve the Commission on Culture, Arts, & Joy Justice (Siddiqui – Iden)
    • This bill dissolves CCAJJ in order to use its funds for the AS Food Bank.
  • A Bill to Revise Eligibility Criteria for AS Funding of SEAL Student Groups (Singh – Elkhatib)
    • This bill changes the timeline for Student Engagement and Leadership (SEAL) groups to receive AS funding. Currently, SEAL groups must be registered for an academic quarter. This bill would speed up the process by changing that requirement to five academic weeks.
  • A Bill to Mandate Publicity for Events With Food Provided by Associated Students (Singh – Elkhatib)
    • This bill requires campus organizations hosting events using food paid for by AS to publicize those events, like on social media, with flyers, or through official university channels. 
    • Violations could be met with warnings and $30 fines. If an organization violates the bill a third time, they may be banned from receiving any more AS funds for the rest of the quarter, or their budget could be transferred into the Senate Unallocated fund.
  • The above bills were all tabled for one week, because they would make changes to the bylaws.

The Senate approved appointments and resignations for the following organizations: Commission on Student Well-Being (COSWB), IV Arts, Strategic Operations Office, Senate, Office of the President, Office of the Student Advocate General, Office of Senate Leadership, Isla Vista Community Relations Committee (IVCRC), Student Commission on Racial Equity (SCORE), and Senate Outreach Committee.

 

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