The Undergraduate Student Government senate met Tuesday to hear presentations from president Divya Jakatdar and chief financial officer Khalil Daniels.

Due to the rain, USG officers were able to serve office hours virtually and vice president Michelle Lu made the decision to move the senate meeting online.

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In her presentation, Jakatdar said that the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk will be on campus in early March to register voters for upcoming federal and state elections. She said that the voting working group established in October — with the Center for the Political Future and University Relations — is hoping to expand to more locations. California will hold its primary elections on March 5 and the presidential election will occur on Nov. 5. 

Jakatdar’s presentation included information about the upcoming USG presidential debate and senatorial forum. The debate will occur next Tuesday in place of a USG meeting. She said the USG debate will include more interaction between the candidates compared to past years.

“[In the past], it was more of a kind of a rotational mic where everyone had an opportunity to answer the same question,” Jakatdar said.

The president promoted other completed USG initiatives, including free sexually transmitted infection testing for students, the launch of another RestSC location and the addition of two medical supply vending machines on campus — one at USC Village and one at the Royal Street Parking Structure.

The free STI testing — available due to funding allocated in November  — will be available from Feb. 10 through March 30 and will mark the beginning of Wellness Week. Wellness Week will also include a Wellness Fair at Alumni Park, a mixer at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and a hazing prevention yoga event.

Daniels said that the funding department has reviewed 396 applications as of the end of January, up from 276 reviewed as of the end of January 2023. Recognized student organizations have received $320,000. He said that the Performing and Visual Arts Fund has over $20,000 while the Social and Recreation/Startup fund has just under $9,000 and the Philanthropy Fund has over $1,000. 

“We definitely expect all the funds to be utilized in general to [their] fullest extent,” Daniels said. “We really don’t know exactly when [they’re] going to be utilized.”

He said that applications for funding will close on March 6 and that the department will release a report on the funding allocated for the year. 

Senator Diana Carpio presented for the first time since her inauguration in January, following a special election in December. She said the laundry stipend project, which accepted applications from Jan. 11 to Jan. 18, is waiting on confirmation from the Financial Aid Office that the cards it awards will not affect students’ other aid awards.

“Everything is ready to go. The funds are secured. The participants [have applied]. We’re just waiting on financial aid,” Carpio said. “They’re the ones who need to confirm that … The recipient’s financial aid package won’t be hurt in any way, shape or form, and that’s the last thing we want to do.”

Carpio and senator Christian Shaw also answered questions about attempts to implement Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds at Seeds Marketplace. 

Shaw previously said that Seeds Marketplace currently does not have enough staple food items to allow SNAP funds. He said they are now working with Jimmy Orellana at USC Hospitality to expand SNAP programs specially available to unhoused, elderly or disabled Americans. 

He said they are alternately asking the administration to consider breaking Seeds Marketplace into separate grocery and restaurant components to make use of a loophole which would allow SNAP funds to be used. 

“To get approved for [SNAP] you have to have the staple food items for your grocery store, which Seeds doesn’t have the capacity to do,” Shaw said. “However, if your retail earnings are higher in your cold food items than your hot food items … then you can get an exemption.”