The 76th Associated Students Senate formally signed on to support expanded California marine protections at its last meeting of winter quarter on March 4. Later in the meeting, the Mobility Transportation Program announced it received enough petition signatures to get its fee initiative on the spring election ballot.
The Senate unanimously adopted a resolution expanding marine protected areas and fully protecting 30% of California’s coastal waters by 2030. Shengyu Zheng / Daily Nexus
Public Forum
Veterans Resource Center peer advisor and fourth-year political science major Micah Littlepage and UC Santa Barbara alum and founder of the Mobility Transportation Program (MTP), Francisco Vega, announced that they received enough petition signatures to get their fee initiative on the spring election ballot. The initiative would create a lock-in fee for MTP. Vega, who was born with spina bifida, helped create MTP to expand disability accessibility resources on campus.
“I saw the growth and lasting impact that was made in countless students’ lives on a daily basis,” Vega said. “There will always be students like me. It would be incredible if we could afford them a sense of relief while respecting their autonomy to simplify their otherwise busy lives.”
Next, second-year political science major and California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) member Alex Borgas asked the Senate to adopt a resolution to support expanding marine protected areas and fully protect 30% of California’s coastal waters by 2030. The Senate unanimously adopted the resolution authored by Senator Eemaan Wahidullah, a third-year biology and political science double major.
Lastly, two representatives from Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Associated Student Government Jasmine Messina and Alexandra Raphael shared their support for the resolution which will establish the SBCC and UCSB coastal cleanup and monitoring partnership program — a volunteer beach cleanup program. The Senate adopted the resolution.
Legislation Passed
The Senate adopted a resolution supporting repatriation and cultural restoration at UCSB, authored by Wahidullah. The resolution calls on the University to uphold repatriation efforts in accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and California NAGPRA.
Next, the Senate adopted a resolution authored by Associated Students (A.S.) Internal Vice President and fourth-year history and global studies double major Enri Lala that would create an A.S. Legal Code constitutional amendment decreasing the size of the Senate and reworking various positions. The amendment would no longer categorize senators by housing status and would now be designated as “senators-at-large,” decrease the number of senators from 18 to eight and increase the number of transfer student senators from one to two. Students will vote on the amendment in the spring election.
Legislation Proposed
Wahidullah proposed the Winter Quarter Omnibus Bill which would update several Boards, Committees and Units (BCU) legal codes. The bill was referred to the liaison committee.
Next, Second President Pro-Tempore and fourth-year political science and history double major Melanie Jones proposed a bill to standardize chairship by limiting the number of chairs a BCU can have to five. The bill aims to standardize the role of a BCU chair and push for more distinct roles within A.S. entities. The bill was referred to the liaison committee.
Wahidullah then proposed a resolution that would establish a Basic Needs Volunteer Engagement Program. She emphasized that basic needs infrastructure exists on campus but lacks volunteers to help run the programs. The bill aims to recruit students to fill that gap and was referred to the advocacy committee.
First President Pro-Tempore and second-year political science major Evan Sussman proposed a bill to standardize A.S. departments and BCUs. The bill defines a BCU to determine what entities fall under A.S. and which are registered campus organizations under the jurisdiction of Student Engagement & Leadership. The bill was referred to the executive committee.
Financial Motions
The Senate Unallocated bank account currently has an over $40,000 deficit from funding allocations being approved without the account amount being checked. Therefore, funding approved from the account over the last quarter is not legitimate. To ensure all entities or projects are properly funded, the Senate made several transfers from other accounts into Senate Unallocated.
Reports
Interim Executive Director Sean Lieberman announced that 57 students have declared senator candidacy for the upcoming spring election.
Next, A.S. President and fourth-year global studies, communication and Spanish triple major Le Anh Metzger announced the winners of the outstanding BCU awards. The Bike Committee won the Student Well-Being award, the Media Center and Creative Media Unit won the Professional Academic Development award and the Community Affairs Board won the Representation to Marginalized Communities award. The awarded BCUs will receive a monetary prize in the form of increased honoraria.
Resignations
Senator and third-year political science major Sohan Sunderrajan resigned from the Senate.
