The Undergraduate Student Government senate met Tuesday night to discuss SR 143-11, a resolution regarding the “genocide occurring in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“200 dead, including children. 400 injured. Tens of thousands forcibly displaced, estimates say 50,000 … 30,000 refugees or forcibly displaced persons have already arrived in Armenia as of this morning,” said Vice President of the Armenian Students Association Mane Berikyan, a junior majoring in international relations and Russian, in describing the scale of the ongoing crisis. 

The bill calls for the University to coordinate efforts to support Armenian students by asking the Office of the Provost to communicate with deans and professors to accommodate these students. The bill also asks President Carol Folt to release a statement in support of the Armenian community.

During discussion of the resolution, Ariana Pomakian, a senior majoring in human biology, said USC should fulfill its stated commitment to diversity after its silence during previous flare-ups of the conflict in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

“USC did not stand in solidarity with Armenian students when we lost family members in the war in 2020,” Pomakian said. “They did not stand in solidarity with us in 2021 as Artsakh civilians were murdered and kidnapped by Azeri soldiers. USC did not stand in solidarity with their Armenian students in 2022 when 120,000 human beings were held hostage in Artsakh by Azerbaijan.”

After the discussion period ended, SR 143-11 was passed unanimously. The bill will go to USG president Divya Jakatdar for her signature and USG Parliamentary Secretary Ryan Tung will have two weeks to deliver it to the administration. 

Afterwards, USG moved to discuss SR 143-12, which was presented by Chief of Staff David Martinez, and discussed the resolution to support the Discovery Translation Hub at the Health Sciences Campus, a facility to apply new research into medical treatments. 

During discussion, senator Andrea Velazquez expressed concerns about the gentrifying effects of the proposed development. 

 Martinez responded by saying “it’s within the boundaries of the Health Sciences [Campus], so any effects would probably be internalized.”  The bill ultimately passed unanimously. 

Lastly, USG discussed and unanimously passed resolution SB 143-13, which allows for the chief funding officer to withdraw any outstanding applications of funding boards which have already utilized at least half of their funding during the fall semester. 

CFO Khalil Daniels emphasized the need to ensure “not only are we using the funds efficiently, but to make sure that we have enough funds to use throughout the entire year.”