USG discusses payroll issues, ongoing resolutions


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 In one of the last USG meetings before the administration change, Senators reflected on their work this semester and the items they are still working on. (Nayeon Ryu | Daily Trojan)

The Undergraduate Student Government introduced several pieces of new and continuing legislation, including support for Palestinian students, and discussed payroll issues within USG, Tuesday evening.

In one of his final updates before the official transition to the new Areias-Warren administration, President Gabe Savage spoke about the current issues he plans to tackle with his time left, including payroll difficulties within USG. USG officers are no longer on the payroll and may only receive stipends, which can only be applied to tuition and if a Senator is “fully aided,” it may result in senators losing out on compensation, Savage said.

“I’ve been working on [payroll issues] since my first week in office,” Savage said. “This is something we cannot allow to continue. It effectively means that only certain students would be able to be in USG, and those students would be the ones who are more financially well off. It’s a barrier to entry. I think it’s a [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion] issue at heart.”

The Palestinian Flag Resolution, which calls for the addition of the Palestinian flag to The Center for International and Public Affairs was also discussed during the meeting. Sen. Lennon Wesley III, said he was happy to see the sentiment after hearing from several students who demonstrated their support for the resolution.

“It was really touching to receive so many thoughts of students, and we definitely support you and appreciate your sentiment,” Wesley said.

Other senators also shared updates, including Sen. Maximillian Gomez on student coronavirus vaccinations and Sen. Alexis Areias on her Presidential transition.

The Senate will hear from Benjamin Morain, a junior majoring in political science, who is the nomination for Chief Justice of the Judicial Council by Savage, next week. Senators will also have the opportunity to question Morain prior to voting.