Week 9 / Spring 2026
ASUC Senate Meeting
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
ASUC Senate Chambers (510 Eshleman Hall)
The meeting was dominated by a lengthy and emotional public comment period where numerous members of SUPERB (Student Union Program, Entertainment, and Recreation Board) confronted the Senate about its decision in a previous meeting to table their fee referendum. SUPERB members expressed anger, disappointment, and a sense of betrayal, while several senators responded with apologies, justifications for their votes, and promises to work on the issue in the future.
trackasuc
Attendance
18 present / 3 absent
Officer Reports
1 of 5
Verino
President
The President delivered a presentation to the Senate.
Bills Voted On
4 resolutions
Consent Calendar
Passed SR 25/26-077 In Support of Reintroducing Legislation to Establish the California Latino Commission
Floor Votes
Passed SR 25/26-087 In Support of H.R.2627/S.1233, Keeping STEM Talent Act of 2025, and Preserving International Student Presence in U.S. Higher Education
Minutes & Agenda Approvals
4 items
New Business Introduced
6 resolutions referred to committee
SR 25/26-076 Honoring Latin American Countries By Recognizing Their Independence Anniversaries excomm
I witnessed Mario Savio implementing the Free Speech Movement, which was amazing for the whole country. The 'No Kings March' is coming up on March 28th, and I ask all the senators to come and march. Even if you are not physically in Berkeley, you can find a march to join.
I want to present a quote: 'This was proposed on Monday at 8pm and we are already voting on it on Wednesday.' Imagine my disappointment when this did not pass. Our communication was clear and our collaboration was sincere. Cal students deserve to vote on this this year. We demand a public apology immediately.
We were unable to speak to anything that happened. As a note to Senator Beardsley, we had not committed any campus violations until the Judicial Council says so. The fact that 10 Senators voted no on this bill through a closed senate session is unjust. You should try giving the students their autonomy ahead of your own agendas.
I want to express our discontent with your decision to vote against us. I find it disheartening, as you know that students need these events, and you voted no on this.
This decision will cost a whole class of students the ability to vote on this. For ASUC SUPERB, we do not ask for donations. We are here to provide an outlet for students outside of exams. My question is for those who voted against SUPERB: maybe you should reconsider your relationship with us.
I am angered and disgusted by the approach the ASUC took with this referendum. I know how these budgets work and how they are working against us now. Many will feel these effects, as these events are for students and by students. Getting talent has become more difficult, especially with our financial budget. I want to emphasize it has become more expensive. This will not be able to go on any longer.
To the 10 senators that elected to table this for next year, what detrimental implication would happen by making it 8 dollars more? In less than 24 hours, we were able to receive signatures from students but lacked the ability to secure the needed signatures. I am disappointed overall that we failed to represent the student body and what they want.
I am especially disappointed that you guys tabled our referendum. This past couple of years, I have seen how essential our events are. At a handful of these events, we had to turn down students because the seats were full. This demonstrates the need for student events. SUPERB has given students free opportunities to see events they would not have otherwise. This has hurt the student body.
I have had the honor to be a part of the SUPERB community. But as someone who manages SUPERB's online presence, I am reconsidering collaborating with the ASUC for future events. This is truly disheartening. Your vote last week robbed students of the ability to make that decision for themselves. We are now being majorly restricted in delivering the events that students deserve.
I wanted to give my experience on this process. I had to drop everything to get students to sign for the ability to get it back on the referendum. This time could have been used for other things. I hope this situation can allow for reflection. Thank you for your time.
During my time here at SUPERB, I've seen the resources, and resources were scarce where I come from, and they never saw the need to fund the arts. Coming to Berkeley, we have been able to get resources that help me pursue my passion. Students want to be a part of SUPERB, but we lack the resources to give to them. So I urge you, the student body should have had the chance to vote on this on their own.
I was on the UC Berkeley student engagement website and saw that under ASUC, you are a 21-member body that represents Berkeley students. I want to know how this reflects anything that is democratic in any way. You are not reflecting our perspective. This is on you for putting the blame on us, as we are unable to give proper programs. I am curious why you think that is democratic and why you call yourselves senators.
I want to start by thanking SUPERB. I promise that I am just as disappointed as you are. I believe in an honest and true representative democracy and believe students should have had the ability to vote on this issue. I am deeply sorry. I hope everyone knows that.
I would like to take a few moments to discuss this. I was speaking from my individual point of view. I appreciate everyone being collaborative with this. I want to point out there is a judicial council campaign. I want to discuss the issue of the timeline; this was added to the agenda as an emergency resolution, and this constrained our time for amendments.
I do not have a prepared speech, but I want to thank you for being here to hear directly from you all. When I voted for this bill, my stance was clear that students deserved the right to vote for this, and my sense was right. As a first-generation student, I appreciate having spaces that bring everyone together to bring joy to our experience on campus. I will continue to advocate for you all. I want to thank you for your incredible work always.
Thank you for coming today. I want to specify that the issue wasn't that SUPERB doesn't deserve this funding, but it was about the strategic implication of the way this was brought forth. Advancing this bill created an isolation that would have been detrimental to the ASUC. I see why many are here to engage in community engagement and am happy to be reached out to.
I want to thank you all for being here. We are supposed to be held accountable and you should come here to express your concerns. The reason I voted this way was because we thought that having it on the ballot next year would be more beneficial. The decision felt rushed, especially since we only saw it on Monday. I apologize that you felt so misheard and I am always open for more conversations about this.
I want to thank you all for your time. Coming from an underserved community, I know that these communities that give us these resources are really important. I hope to continue to see collaborations in the future. Just know that there are people here who advocated for you and who are with you. I appreciate those who advocated for you.
Thank you for showing out. I want to make sure we are respecting our programs. At the end of the day, it is not going to pass this year, but I would like to work to put it on the ballot for next year. Thank you for speaking up for what you believe is right and for continuing to advocate and be here today.
I just wanted to say thank you for coming out. We worked on our own referendum and that in itself was exhausting, so I appreciate you for bringing it out. You had no concerns on that other bill that got introduced Wednesday and you all voted in favor of that.
Hi everyone, thank you all for coming here. I want to sincerely apologize for not supporting this initiative and I appreciate you taking your time to be here. I believe in accessibility and transparency. We should have continued to have more student dialogue on campus, and I believe in accountability. I want to be the first one to say I am sorry and to work on our relationship and talk about our relationship in the future.