The A.S. Council’s central issue of the night — which sparked nearly a two-hour debate — surrounded the legalities of A.S. Mandate Reserves and the proper usage of the council’s backup funds.
Earlier, during public input, Campuswide Senator Adam Kenworthy offered a cheaper alternative to the proposed A.S. sponsored “No Koala” campaign. Armed with a stack of fliers which Kenworthy said cost about $3.40 to make, compared to the $1500 budget President Utsav Gupta proposed to set aside for the cause.
Next, Associate Vice President of Local Affairs Aries Yumul brought up a sensitive issue regarding the California Valley Miwok Tribe. As he held his cell phone to the microphone, Tribal Chair Silvia Burley told the council how her tribe was evicted from their land by a county sheriff’s department.
“We’re fighting to stand up for our sovereign rights and to kick the non-Indians out of our business,” an emotional Burley said.
AVP Enterprise Operations Rishi Ghosh gave a special presentation about the Sustainability Center. Councilmembers received free pins and recycled notebooks with the center’s newly designed logo. The center, which will open in Price Center West on Nov. 20, will provide programming focused on a different sustainability-related cause each month.
In a presentation by the council’s external affairs office, VP External Affairs Gracelynne West and UCSA field organizer Jeanalee Obergfell discussed the office’s mission to build campuswide student involvement in acheiving accessibility, affordability and quality higher education.
During oral reports, VP Student Life Riscie Hernandez announced that Fall Fest tickets sales were low. Her advice for raising sales in a mere two days?
“Promote it to your constituents,” she said.
As the motions from the finance committee were slowly approved, the council halted at the specific wording of a motion to fund a $10,000 allocation to Phi Gamma Delta.
The council passed amendments to take $10,000 from A.S. Mandate Reserves, but many felt strongly against using the stored funds for a cause not explicitly stated by the organization filing the request.
After much debate and a 10-minute recess, the council reconvened.
“Ideologically [the money] was taken from other student orgs, but fiscally, it’s right,” Campuswide Senator Alex Vu said.
The council settled to pass the underwrite and take $10,000 out of Mandate Reserves.
Campuswide Senator Bryant Pena asked councilmembers during Open Forum to sign a petition that supporting making the new Chicano art mural on Peterson Hall permanent.
Gupta ended the relatively short meeting with a statement that generated gasps of excitement from councilmembers.
“I’m working to get ‘B’ permits for college chairs and A.S. senators,” he said. “I’m going to submit a proposal soon, so if you’d like to put your name on this list, email me.”
