The Undergraduate Student Government senate approved a resolution Tuesday night asking the University to include more student voices in the planning of cultural heritage and history ceremonies after students raised concerns regarding being excluded from the planning and implementation process of ceremonies.

Senate bill 145-25, which passed unanimously, requests that USC include at least two students during the planning process of their respective cultural events, and at least one student speaker per event.

“This is not to say that students were entirely omitted from the [planning and implementation] process,” said Yasmeen ElFarra, USG’s chief diversity officer. “They were involved; however, in my two years serving as chief diversity officer, I have seen a shift in the nature of student representation and involvement in these celebrations.” 

In an Instagram post following USC’s Arab American Heritage Month celebration on April 1, the Middle Eastern and North African Student Assembly claimed that the University did not permit a member of MENASA to recite a poem at the event. The Native American Student Assembly similarly claimed that USC told them Native American students were not permitted to speak at the University’s Native American Heritage Month event in November. In response, NASA held an independent event in Exposition Park.  

In separate statements to the Daily Trojan after both of Native American events, the University did not directly address the claims, writing that the event contained multiple performances recommended by community members.

During discussion on the bill, senator Moy Valdez asked whether students have been excluded from every cultural event or a select few. ElFarra said that she has heard from multiple student groups that students are continuing to be excluded from events. 

Senators also voted to table SB 145-24 — the Fiscal Year 2026-27 fiscal budget — for the second week in a row. The vote was postponed because Lauren Riley, co-executive director for the Joint Assembly for Military-Associated Students, said she was unable to meet with current chief programming officer Ali Edmonds and incoming chief financial officer Jackson Alexander regarding JAMS’ proposed $4,000 funding reduction due to training that took place during the weekend. 

Senate bill 145-26, which would change the Trojan Pride Committee’s name to the Trojan Spirit Community and give the group a new logo, was also tabled to next week.

The senate also heard the annual State of USG speech from president Mikaela Bautista. In her address, Batista highlighted the nine out of 16 planned projects that her administration was able to complete. According to Bautista, the accomplished projects included the spring admit welcome dinner, recognized student organizations assistance, and housing and financial aid workshops for students. 

Bautista also said she applauded her administration’s adaptability to international and national events, and referenced USG’s response to the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” sent to USC in October by the Department of Education. Bautista said she and vice president Emma Fallon worked to collect student feedback on the compact, which 94% of the over 320 students surveyed did not support, and presented it to President Beong-Soo Kim. The University ultimately rejected the compact.

“Whenever local, national and international occurrences came to our attention, our approach has remained the same: first, educating ourselves on the matter, then proactive engagement with relevant stakeholders, the circulation of support and resources, and finally, relentless advocacy in our meetings with administrative leadership,” Bautista said. 

During presentations, senator Jad Kilani said he was able to secure legislative funding for 6,000 ladybugs for pest management at the Parkside Garden, an on-campus student-run community garden. 

In his presentation, senator Kian Salek said he successfully updated Wi-Fi access in residential buildings at USC Village. Salek also said he, in partnership with senator Kevin Hoang, successfully advocated for implementing wait times on the Tutor Campus Center mobile app before placing an order. The visibility of wait times on the mobile app for TCC has been available since February.

At the final senate meeting of the semester next Tuesday, senators will vote to approve the 2026-27 fiscal year budget.