USG welcomes Senator Cornelio to fill vacancy


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Senator Jakatdar presented project updates including developments to the LiveSafe app and the deployment of medical vending machines. (Amanda Chou | Daily Trojan)

At Tuesday night’s Undergraduate Student Government senate meeting, the Senate unanimously passed SB 142-31, which will cancel all USG events on election day. The Senate body believes that canceling USG events will increase voter turnout among the student government body, allowing USG-affiliated students to have more time off to vote.

Next week’s Senate meeting, and all USG events next Tuesday, will be canceled — unless the event is related to the elections — and no officer shall be required to serve office hours on election day. 

Canceling USG events will allow more students to not only vote, but participate in activities such as volunteering at the polls or driving the elderly to polling places. 

This isn’t the first time USG has tried to increase student engagement in politics. In March 2021, last year’s Senate unanimously approved a resolution to make election day a non-instructional day at USC, citing that the mandatory attendance requirements were “barriers that restrict civic participation.”

The bill posits that promoting student participation in civic duties is important, since voting from a young age increases the likelihood of a person voting for the rest of their life. 

Senator Divya Jakatdar presented project updates including developments to LiveSafe, an app that provides features and resources to report issues to Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention and Services and the Department of Public Safety. Other projects include scouting locations with Student Health for medical supply vending machines on campus, creating an undocumented student center to investigate ways to increase student basic needs and working with housing to provide resources and supplies for Trojan Shelter operations. 

“We’ve had quite a few conversations about the [undocumented student center],” Jakatdar said. “Location is the big thing … possible spaces could be in one of the libraries or the Physical Education building. Those are some of the spaces around campus that we find are underutilized.” 

Next week’s USG meeting, alongside all other USG events Nov. 8, will be canceled for election day. USG is instead urging students to volunteer their time at the polls to increase community civic engagement. (Amanda Chou | Daily Trojan)

Chair of external affairs Monica Rodriguez shared project highlights including the Mental Health Assistance & Response 

Team, creating a community mural, working with Sole2Soul to repurpose athletic shoes to distribute to the community, working with the Los Angeles neighborhood council, DPS reform projects and expansions to the Fryft program.

“My committee focuses on the relationship with USC and the surrounding community,” Rodriguez said. “The relationship has been a bit hostile, and as someone from South L.A., it’s really clear to me that I need to fix this relationship and try to develop healthy habits between students and the surrounding communities to begin to mend that relationship.”

The Senate also swore in senator Cameron Cornelio at the meeting, replacing former senator Jessica Gonzalez who resigned on Monday. Cornelio was the next highest-ranked candidate not currently serving and willing to fill the position.

Cornelio campaigned with Andrew Taw, focusing their platform on transparency within the Greek life system, student body connection, sustainability, the transfer student community and cross-communication with each student identity assembly in Spring 2022. 

“Coming in this late into the term gives me the opportunity to help where I can,” Cornelio said. “I understand that I’m serving on the Wellness committee. I’m helping any senators with what they need right now and bringing in some of those campaign points that I actually ran on to bring in my own perspectives.”  

Chief of programming officer Jillian Fallon announced Matthew Calma, a junior majoring in public relations and political economy, as the nominee for the assistant director of the Political Student Assembly. The Senate unanimously confirmed the nomination.