Spring 2026 / week 13

Wednesday, April 22 asuc senate meeting, Wednesday, April 22, 2026

© OpenStreetMap
10:22 pm
recording
0:00:00/2:13:18

attendance

19 present
Anamaria Abnusy
Abnusy
Reg Macarro
Macarro
Margaret Solomon
Solomon
Somer Alrai
Alrai
Abdullah Memon
Memon
Colton Beardsley
Beardsley
Selina Mendez
Mendez
Ayden Reading
Reading
Shawn Canin
Canin
Nicole Nunez Rivera
Nunez Rivera
Sara Terán
Terán
Abigail Cho
Cho
Kianna Rodarte
Rodarte
Sydnee Thy
Thy
Joshua De Miguel
De Miguel
Bella Santos
Santos
Rayne Xue
Xue
Talia Golshani
Golshani
Jada Yang
Yang
2 absent
Lucia Stankovic
Stankovic
Sydney Scott
Scott

presentations

Abigail Verino President

President Abigail Verino highlighted transition meetings, Cal Day tabling, and her upcoming Transfer Welcome Speech on May 2. She then yielded to Multicultural Initiative Fund (MIF) executives, who reported reviewing 80 applications and distributing $110,000 across 62 student organizations. The MIF team noted ongoing communication challenges with recipient student groups regarding purchase requests and mandatory check-ins.

Slide 1
0:00/12:43
presentation.pptx slides matched to the talk

decisions

passed by unanimous consent

moved by Abnusy, seconded by Beardsley

SR 25/26 113 Modernization of Autonomy and Committees, and Reforming Oversight (MACRO) Act
Senators questioned the executive-only membership of the Units Governance Committee during discussion.
13 min

passed by unanimous consent

moved by Abnusy, seconded by Solomon

SR 25/26 114 Recognize and Commemorate Armenian Genocide Day on April 24th
Five minutes were spent making edits to the resolution.
4 min

18 more passed

resolutions

appointments

ASUC Disabled Student Commission

  • Jada Yang Co-Chair
  • SM Suryabhan Mohapatra Co-Chair

ASUC Undocumented Student Affairs Commission

  • SG Sofia Gonzalez Chair
  • JS Joao Silva Serra Vice Chair

Judicial Council

  • RM Riya Murthy
  • KF Katerine Fateev
  • AC Aralyn Connolly
  • AW Alexander Wyss

finance report

  • FR 25/26 S11 Finance Committee apr 20 passed

new business

  1. In Opposition to the Removal of Anti-Racism and Diversity Language from the UC Sustainable Practices Policy
  2. University External Affairs Committee Adjustment for Requestee Presence
  3. Establishing the Restorative Justice Resource Hub Charter
  4. Passing the FY27 ASUC Annual Budget and Spaces Allocation
  5. A Resolution to Advance Systemwide Housing Transparency and Accountability in UC Student Housing Programs
  6. In Support of CA SB 1266
  7. Recognizing May as National Foster Care Awareness Month
  8. Addressing the Need for Student Third Places
  9. Retaining Administration of the Multicultural Initiative Fund (MIF) Under the Office of the President
  10. Institutionalizing bridges Priority Meeting Space Access in Eshleman Hall
  11. Increasing Equity and Transparency in Event Services Policy
  12. For Transfer Student Equity in ASUC Recruitment and Selection
  13. For Greater Electoral Integrity
  14. Fundamental Finance Updates III
  15. In Support of Restrictive AI Usage and Condemning OpenAI
  16. In Support of More Affordable, Accessible, and Abundant Student Housing at UC Berkeley
  17. Addressing Rising Costs of Campus Spaces and Barriers to Registered Student Organization Access
  18. Standing in Solidarity with Farmers’ Protests in India and the Sikh Farming Community
  19. Strengthening Campus Event Safety and Expanding Institutional Support for the Berkeley Medical Reserve Corps
  20. Advocating for a Standardized Grievance and Academic Accommodation Policy for Students Experiencing Personal and Family Emergencies
  21. Institutionalizing Mercadito to Ensure Successful Yearly Transition
  22. Commitment Against ASUC Spending on Corporations Tied to Federal Immigration Enforcement
  23. Establishing International Student Advocacy Training for the ASUC Executive and Appointed Officers Leadership Institute
  24. Calling for UC Berkeley to Preserve South Asian Studies and South Asian Language Instruction in Response to Federal Title VI Terminations
  25. In Support of Creating a Legal Defense Fund for International Students in the California Governor’s 2027-28 Budget
  26. Urging Ethical and BDS-Compliant Corporate Partnerships in the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union
  27. In Support of Establishing an International Student Caucus

minutes

download

public comment

7 people spoke on SR 25/26-114

Tigran Al-Falyant Co-President, Armenian Genocide Association

Tigran Al-Falyant spoke in support of the resolution, giving historical context on the Armenian Genocide and the Ottoman regime's actions in 1915. He highlighted the ongoing denialism by the Turkish government and urged active education and official recognition to combat denialist narratives.

Nader Khilafian PR Chair and Hall ASA Advisor, Berkeley ASA

Nader Khilafian thanked the Senate for passing the Armenian genocide commemoration bill and drew attention to current atrocities facing Armenians today. He urged the Senate to recognize ongoing blockades and violence as a modern form of genocide.

Saurine Co-culture chair, Armenian Student Facilitation

Saurine, co-culture chair of the Armenian Students' Association, highlighted their week-long tabling on Sproul Plaza to raise funds for children displaced in Artsakh due to the Armenian Genocide. She also expressed disappointment that University Event Services relocated their scheduled movie screening off Memorial Glade and asked for better event visibility in the future.

Farid Andy Member, Armenian Student Association

Farid Andy, a member of the Armenian Student Association, shared personal experiences of facing racism as an Armenian from Turkey and expressed solidarity with other marginalized groups. They asked the Senate to support the resolution recognizing historical atrocities against Armenians so that history is not repeated.

Christine President, Armenian Sorority at AALE

Christine, president of the Armenian Sorority, spoke on the ongoing generational trauma and denial faced by Armenian students on campus. She emphasized the critical importance of historical remembrance to honor lost family members, resist erasure, and refuse silence.

Public Speaker

The speaker voiced support for the Armenian commemoration bill and advocated for practical support for displaced Armenians from Artsakh. They highlighted concerns about oil-for-arms trades between Azerbaijan and Israel while encouraging political organizing beyond the structural limits of student government.

Lizana

Lizana expressed support for the bill, emphasizing its significance to the Armenian community and genocide survivors. She called on society and institutions to resist harmful mindsets and continue supporting cultural resilience.