USG starts advocacy projects


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Photo of students around desks and tables in a square.
USG will vote at the next meeting on whether to pass a proposal that would provide business attire to students who demonstrate financial need. (Christina Chkarboul | Daily Trojan)

In the first in-person senate meeting of the semester, members of the Undergraduate Student Government presented new proposals for long-term advocacy projects such as Tilt Los Angeles, a project incubator program to facilitate a collaborative environment for youth to start their own projects and Suit-Up, which will work to provide professional attire for USC students.  

The meeting began with chief programming officer Jessica Minsol Kim’s presentation of new hires and upcoming events. The programming branch introduced new hires Kayla Parayno, a freshman majoring in health and human sciences, as the new assistant director of the Queer and Ally Student Assembly, and Sandy Zhang, a junior majoring in business administration, as the new assistant director of the Transfer Student Assembly. 

Senator Russell Agustin then shared his progression in his long-term project, Tilt L.A., a collaborative project “between the USC and UCLA student governments” that works to jumpstart social change projects in the community.

“[Tilt] is a program that works to get youth thinking about the problems that they face in their society and their community, and to self innovate problem-solving solutions to these issues,” said Agustin in an interview with the Daily Trojan. 

Agustin is also working on creating a vegan and vegetarian cookbook for students and staff that he hopes will continue as a “universal cookbook that anyone can add to … like a living document” that will be released on the USG website once available. 

“The mission behind the project was [for] anyone … to dip their toe in a green diet if they wish to do so,” Agustin said. “It’s often that we look at a vegetarian or being a vegan as something that’s not doable … Oftentimes, the hardest part is the first step.”

In addition, Agustin looks to pilot an equipment distribution channel with donations of yoga mats and dumbbells that are “easily transportable to local community centers and local high schools.” Agustin is working with USC’s Recreational Sports Center to plan a shoe drive to collect athletic shoes and distribute them to unhoused or underserved communities in the L.A. area to encourage people to “[practice] a healthy lifestyle.” 

USG also confirmed the nomination of their new academic affairs chair David Mkrtchian, a junior majoring in economics. Mkrtchian previously served as a general member in the Faculty Homies & Academic Resource Spotlight and said he looks forward to create a proposal with student input on General Education reform. 

Senator Hunter Hinson then presented a $7,500 funding proposal for the Suit-Up fund, a project that will provide free business attire to 50 students who demonstrate financial need. 

“It’s important to highlight how USG can buy into already established programs and then influence those programs into the direction of students’ priorities,” Hinson said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. 

Hinson said the program is necessary because of a financial burden on students who want to purchase professional attire for events. In his presentation, Hinson said the program would not affect an individual’s financial aid as an additional cost. 

USG will vote on passing the funding proposal and open it up for debate at the next meeting.