Frances McGinley

Wednesday is the final regular ASUC senate meeting, drawing a close to the 2016-17 executive slate’s term.

The annual Take Back the Night event took place Wednesday night on Sproul Plaza in an effort to raise awareness of issues surrounding sexual assault, with speakers calling for the campus and the nation to break the silence.

As many of the 113 investigations detailed in UC documents released Tuesday unfolded, the University Office of the President pushed for systemwide changes to UC sexual misconduct policy.

UC Berkeley will be installing a new Relaxation Enhancing Study and Tranquility, or REST, zone to the Recreational Sports Facility this semester.

At its regular Wednesday meeting, the ASUC Senate passed into committee two new resolutions that would revamp three ASUC bylaws and heard a presentation from Senator Anthony Carrasco about a potential new referendum for the April ballot, which would help low-income students fund their housing.

Ben Gould — a graduate student running for Berkeley City Council’s District 4 seat — announced Monday that he has secured the endorsement of every executive member of UC Berkeley’s ASUC and graduate assembly, excluding that of Selina Lao, who holds the nonpartisan position of ASUC student advocate.

A number of ASUC executives and senators have announced their endorsement for Berkeley mayoral candidate Jesse Arreguin ahead of next week’s election.

Wednesday’s new resolutions marked a total of seven bills in the past three weeks focused on student safety and wellness. They included a bill that would create a commission on mental health and another to increase protection related to on-campus political demonstrations.

At the ASUC Senate's regular meeting Wednesday, UC Berkeley administrators addressed developments in the campus’s approach to sexual violence and harassment cases, and the senate took steps toward the creation of an ASUC Intimate Partner Violence Commission.

At a student forum Tuesday, UC Berkeley students expressed their concerns over how the next chancellor would handle the budget, campus climate and accountability.