USG discusses spring funding surplus


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The Ronald Tutor Campus Center in the day.
Undergraduate Student Government meetings are typically held open-door at the Ronald Tutor Campus Center, but shifted to a virtual modality Tuesday in light of the Los Angeles mayoral debate. (Amanda Chou | Daily Trojan file photo)

The Undergraduate Student Government unanimously approved a senate resolution in support of Ukrainian students and a funding proposal for fentanyl test strips for students Tuesday. 

The support of Ukrainian students resolution, presented during the March 8 senate meeting and authored by senator Arie Abija and senator Diego Andrades, asks USC to make accommodations and stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian student community to provide them with tangible and coordinated support and resources.

The fentanyl test strip funding proposal, also presented during the last senate meeting,  proposed a $3,500 program to distribute 3,500 fentanyl test strips in collaboration with Trojan Awareness Combating Overdose. 

Chief programming officer Jessica Minsol Kim announced the potential incorporation of two assemblies: the Middle Eastern and North African Student Assembly and the Military Associated Student Assembly. This will be the third time that the groups present to become an assembly. The senate will vote on the incorporation Wednesday and release results at the end of the week.

“This is something that both groups have worked so hard for,” Kim said. “We’ve made a few changes to how this process is done … I’m optimistic that, regardless of the results this year, there will just be more clarity to all the processes, and it will be a smoother process.”

Senior executive aide and chair of the COVID-19 and return to campus taskforce Katelyn Lee also presented about the committee’s future as coronavirus cases decrease on campus. Created as a special task force during the pandemic, the committee is “no longer really necessary,” and will hopefully “no longer ever be necessary again,” Lee said.

Affordability and basic needs chair Jaynelle Granados shared the committee’s recent projects, including a memo and legal review for work study alternatives that the committee looks to pilot within the next year. The committee, Granados said, will potentially host a clothing drive at the end of the semester and implement a meal swipe donation program. 

“I’m really proud of the progress we’ve made,” Granados wrote. “We were able to donate additional funds to the JCPenny Suit Up Program that happened recently … we are continuously working on addressing food insecurity … we really try to always have this community present and in mind because we know it’s often the first-gen, former foster youth, low income, undocumented student populations who are marginalized and underserved, so we always want to provide the best work, projects and resources we can. ”

Kim also presented on USG’s reallocated $71,180 spring budget surplus. Funds were distributed to five groups, the Asian Pacific American Student Assembly, the Queer and Ally Student Assembly, Student Assembly for Accessibility, the Student Assembly for Gender Empowerment and the Concerts Committee, with the latter two assemblies receiving the most allocations, $15,000 and $47,528.20, respectively. All requested reallocations were met except for the Concerts Committee, which initially asked for $50,000. 

Andrades introduced a senate resolution in support of faculty calls for higher pay following a faculty open letter that, at the time of publication, garnered more than 740 signatures. 

The resolution, which states that USG believes professors deserve an adjusted yearly wage to meet costs of living, urges for the addition of merit-based bonuses and raises. The resolution will be debated and voted on next week. 

Andrades also announced that the Hues of Healing: Restorative Art Therapy for Survivors of Sexual Assault and Their Allies event will take place on Friday. The event is intended to create a community for sexual assault survivors to heal through meditation, writing and large-scale, collective gestural painting led by guest artist Claudia Concha.

Cabinet positions for chief of staff, chief programming officer, chief financial officer, chief diversity officer and chief communications officer applications for the upcoming academic year will be due on Friday. Assembly elections are in progress and committee director applications will be available next week.