At the second ASUC Senate meeting of the spring semester, Senator Stephanie Wong acknowledged and named the 11 victims of the Lunar New Year shooting in Monterey Park on Saturday and held a moment of silence.
Following the moment of silence, senators gave announcements on the various projects they are working on, some of which included adding a new mural on campus and adding additional safe and accessible infrastructure to campus. They also approved additional resolutions including mandating SVSH training for the senators.
“Gun violence is something that unfortunately our generation had to get used to,” ASUC President Chaka Tellem said during the meeting. “That shouldn’t be the case. Seeing how it affects marginalized communities is really unfortunate.”
After the moment of silence and addressing the shooting, Tellem stated that Chancellor Carol Christ, Academic Affairs Vice President James Weichert, Student Advocate Crystal Choi and External Affairs Vice President Bailey Henderson approved early plans to add a mural to a wall on Bancroft Avenue.
He noted that they are in the very early stages of the creation of the mural and are currently trying to get in touch with other faculty members.
“I’m reaching out to different faculty members … to see this idea into fruition,” Tellem said. “The collaborative spirit is really important and so to the extent that any of you senators or Berkeley students are interested in ways that we can get student input either in the design of the mural or in other capacities of it, I’m hoping this can be a mural that depicts what Berkeley is both historically and (in the) present.”
ASUC Executive Vice President Giancarlo Fernandez then reported that Goldie’s Cafe is now in the stages of a pilot program with a new food service vendor geared toward creating “heartier” food options for students. He noted that the cafe recently received an inventory worth $250 and sold over 70% of it on the first day.
According to Fernandez, the cafe’s payment service is expiring soon and the ASUC and campus are looking into a new payment service that will allow students to pay with flex dollars as well as electronic benefit transfer, or EBT.
Choi also said the ASUC received a $200,000 grant to collaborate with the Educational Opportunity Program and the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office to provide casework and support to students to help them get readmitted to UC Berkeley.
Choi noted the significance of the sum and how it will aid students in navigating campus after having to take time off from school due to academic probation, dismissal or personal circumstances.
Henderson’s subsequent announcements included stating goals for the next semester and upcoming year, with plans to meet with local city and campus officials to create a “safer community.”
Plans include adding additional sidewalks, bike paths, bus paths and more street lighting for both south and north campus. This initiative largely includes creating more accessibility for disabled students.
Other goals include attempts to ease the financial burden of purchased textbooks, trying to pass a bill that will make election day a holiday for all of higher education and working to “bring back Cops Off Campus.”
The senate then unanimously passed the minutes from the previous meeting as well as various resolutions, including one reestablishing the ASUC grant and scholarship foundation. It also introduced new business, including a resolution in support of increasing funding and support for disability services on campus.
