The 76th Associated Students Senate appointed a new senator and approved funding for student projects and resources at its Dec. 3 meeting.
Associated Students Senate appoints new Senator, Alec GeoSimonian. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus
The Senate approved the appointment of first-year physics major Alec GeoSimonian as a new senator. Senate leadership will continue to fill the Senate vacancies throughout the winter quarter.
UC Santa Barbara’s Edible Campus Program Neighborhood Engagement Coordinator and third-year communication and political science double major, Elizabeth Lane, requested $1,500 for the I.V. Green Project workshop series. In collaboration with the offices of the Internal Vice President (IVP) and External Vice President for Local Affairs (EVPLA), the series aims to teach students the basics of gardening to promote “food security and sustainability.” The Senate granted the funding request.
The Senate approved the allocation of $10,000 for the UCSB Library’s UCSB Reads program from the Finance Committee funds. UCSB Reads — sponsored by the library and the office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost — selects one book annually in the hopes of “bringing the UCSB campus and Santa Barbara communities together to read a common book that explores compelling issues of our time.”
Next, Senator and fourth-year global studies and history double major Neo Harter requested $100 for food costs on behalf of 180 Degrees Consulting, a student-run consulting group, after the Associated Students (A.S.) Finance Committee initially denied their $300 request and allocated $200. The Senate granted the funding request.
Former IVP for the 2023-24 academic year and UCSB alum Sohum Kalia, and UCSB alum Anand Giduthuri presented their ongoing project called “Internal Control Modernizations.” Sohum and Giduthuri are creating a website that will hold all records of A.S. entity transactions and meeting minutes. According to their report, A.S. faces “error-prone approval” when the Senate bundles and approves all meeting minutes without individual scrutiny. It also highlights “slow transaction fulfillment and backlogs” due to “non-standard” financial practices.
The Senate then adopted the 2026 Financial Policies and Procedures of the Associated Students to update their current financial practices.
Next, the Senate adopted A Bill to Add Healthcare Initiatives Coordinator to the EVPLA’s Office. This bill created the position of Healthcare Initiatives Coordinator in order to bring “health-focused initiatives to campus” and because “Student Health and welfare are in need in the localities in Isla Vista.”
The meeting went into a closed session to discuss “the release of I.V. Arts funds, student fees and the staff reorganization.” The Nexus was unable to confirm the details of the conversation. The meeting concluded after the Senate passed the release of I.V. Arts funds from A.S.
