The 76th Associated Students Senate finalized its budget for the 2026-27 academic year, with $3.8 million designated for staff at its April 29 meeting. The Senate also heard budgetary concerns from several entities and adopted internal reforms.
The 76th Associated Students Senate finalized its budget for the 2026-27 academic year, with $3.8 million designated for staff at its April 29 meeting. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus
Reports
Black Women’s Health Collaborative (BWHC) Co-Chair and third-year communication major Fatoumata Kéré explained the collaborative’s budget request of $124,000, after the finance committee initially proposed $33,000. Kéré explained that the BWHC lacked an advisor for six months. She continued, listing over 15 events that the BWHC helped fund and organize despite “neglect” from Associated Students (A.S.)
She finished by requesting $124,000, which is $6,000 less than the proposed budget to fund the BWHC’s current and future events.
Public Forum
Fourth-year environmental studies and geography double major P.J. Scotting spoke on behalf of the Coastal Fund, explaining financial constraints that will be caused by proposed budget cuts to increase staff wages. Scotting explained that its current budget is insufficient to resolve the approximately $1 million work it is requested to do annually. She continued, saying that in 2026, the fund had already been tasked with $377,000 of work, exceeding the $200,000 it had left available.
Next, third-year writing & literature and history of art and architecture double major Yoyo Huang, chair of the Creative Media Unit and member of the Global Gaucho Commission, addressed the Senate in opposition of a proposed update to Standing Policy 22. If passed, the bill would bar food-related expenditures for boards, committees and units (BCUs) and A.S. branches of government whose meetings last fewer than three hours.
Huang expressed that the bill felt targeted towards BCUs, as it focused on temporal limits rather than budgetary restrictions. She continued, discussing how most BCU meetings take place during dinner hours, making it crucial that members have access to food while participating. She also noted that most BCU meetings finish within three hours, while Senate meetings are known to go on for longer.
Senator and First President Pro Tempore Evan Sussman asserted that the bill was not written with BCUs in mind, but rather to update A.S. legislation in accordance with the UC Office of the President’s policy. The bill was referred to the advocacy committee for further review.
Following this, Raíces de mi Tierra Co-Chair and fourth-year history of policy, law and governance major Toni Valtierra advocated for continued funding from A.S. for her group. They emphasized that their mission statement has been expanded to include undocumented and immigrant students at UCSB, and that they are focused on increasing multicultural involvement and becoming a resource hub for Latine students.
Subsequently, Ekaterina Osipova commented on the Senate’s efficiency and transparency. Osipova condemned the Senate for its lack of public comment on budget modifications, for delays in posting meeting minutes on the Senate website and alleged that several senators had made racist remarks in the previous meeting. Senate members provided her with online resources and assured her that the meeting minutes would be updated soon.
Budget Deliberations
A.S. manages around 80 budgets including Senate subcommittees, BCUs and staff. Deliberations for the 2026-27 budget began with an association-wide budget hearing and a subsequent budget proposal from the A.S. finance committee during Week 2. A.S. President and fourth-year Spanish, communication and global studies triple major Le Anh Metzger then sent out her budget proposal, with rationale for every cut or increase from the previous proposal during Week 4.
To begin its own deliberations, the Senate went into a closed session to discuss the budget for staff salaries and benefits. The Senate decided to allocate $3.8 million for staff, with the funding coming from 20% of each lock-in BCU budget and 10% of each non-lock-in BCU budget. This $3.8 million is out of the total $3.9 million collected from the annual base student fee, which leaves only $100,000 for remaining A.S. accounts.
After the initial budget proposal and weeks of advocacy from BWHC requesting the Senate reinstate their full budget, the collaborative received a $126,000 operating budget for the next academic year. Raíces de mi Tierra was given a budget of $53,240.
The Senate decided to completely cut the A.S. Environmental Justice Alliance’s (EJA) budget, claiming that it has historically spent most of its funding toward honoraria and food. Additionally, Sussman said EJA should combine with the Environmental Affairs Board, as they have similar mission statements.
The official budget with all amounts will be made public after the Week 8 Senate meeting where rollover amounts will be decided.
Legislation Passed
The Senate unanimously adopted Policy 39, which creates a quarterly staff feedback form and outlines the procedures for students reporting concerns within A.S. Senator and fourth-year history of policy, law and governance major Vanessa Manakova cited a “lack of timely communication, lack of clarity regarding staff responsibilities and difficulty obtaining assistance necessary for the effective operation of their entities,” for why the form is necessary.
Financial Allocations
The Senate allocated $1,000 to the A.S. Book Bank to fund the textbook grant program — a program created by Senator and third-year philosophy and economics double major Noah Luken to provide students with financial support when purchasing textbooks.
Next, the Senate reallocated the Community Volunteer Foundation fund to the finance committee’s spring quarter funds due to the groups lack of operation and board for several years.
A version of this article appeared on p. 5 of the May 7 print edition of the Daily Nexus
