The Associated Students Senators met to discuss election reforms, Instagram overhaul, and senate project updates during their Week Two meeting.

Several measures of election reforms were discussed during the public input section, including taking down pictures from the ballot, expanding allotted time for the campaign, and providing more information about A.S. elections and administration. Data showed that, during the 2022 election, only 10% of UC San Diego students voted, while only 8% did in the 2021 election. Senators also pointed out that it is counterintuitive to limit students participating in both Associated Students and college councils.

In the following special presentation sponsored by CCO Rosario, the public relations team discussed concerns about the Associated Students’ Instagram account (@asucsd). According to presenters Yao, Wei, and Makam, there haven’t been many interactions with account followers, despite continuous growth within other A.S.-related platforms including ASCE. 

The public relation team attributed the problem largely to factors such as inconsistent and inactive posting, unappealing graphics, and lack of original posts. To improve social media engagement, the team decided to maintain the account regularly, stick to brand guidelines, and stay authentic and transparent. They also made a weekly content routine: on Monday, they will post short videos or posts detailing upcoming events/news for this week; they will give a campus resource spotlight on one particular UCSD resource center on Tuesday; and weekly check-in/interactive posts and fun reels will be out on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

Later Senator Leung gave updates on the project co-organized with Senator Urbieta. They planned to increase first-aid kits on campus and potentially add classes sponsored by American Heart Associations. They are currently working out the details and funding. They also scheduled a meeting with the student transportation advisory committee with the hope of raising student awareness of safe transportation, such as scooters, skateboarding, and bicycling.

Lastly, A.S. President Yang went through a list of ongoing projects and related campus activities. 
A.S. Council meetings take place at 6 p.m. every Wednesday and are open to students. Students can participate in these meetings by joining their Zoom link or tuning in on Facebook Live.

Art by Ava Bayley for The UCSD Guardian