PRESIDENT

Teddy

"The ASUC Presidency is bigger than any one person: it’s an opportunity to uplift communities in the margins, to prioritize voices that aren’t heard in governance or advocacy. The Office of the President holds unique potential to unite the student body behind principles of progress, innovation, and growth— that potential cannot be reached without tremendous courage and a willingness to communicate with the student body. For too long, the Office of the President has been dedicated to upholding the institutional status quo, but, in order to truly strengthen the ASUC and this campus, we need a President who is willing to champion courageous policies and positions that will re-establish Berkeley as the gold standard for on-campus advocacy.”

executive vice president

Maureen

"The Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is recognized as one of the largest student-run organizations in the nation. The salience of the ASUC is marred by stains of partisanship much to the dismay of many in the student body. The ASUC serves approximately 40, 000 students annually with ever-changing leadership that has made maintaining a strong infrastructure challenging in spite of the fact the ASUC has seemingly functioned well as a political machine for students who have political aspirations. But, it has not served as a good advocate for the collective student body, in general. The ASUC has failed to function as a cohesive organization which has resulted in many students feeling disenfranchised by the very institution that was established to aid them in navigating the bureaucracy of the University of California’s systems. When you ask most students --outside of those already affiliated with the ASUC-- about its mission and you are sure to be met with blank stares.

Therefore, my mission as the EVP will be to create a better experience for students on campus and in the community by supporting student services, organizations, and their rights. In recent years, some in the ASUC has lost sight of the mission but if elected, I promise to make supporting student needs, organizations and student rights the chief aim of the ASUC.”

external affairs vice president

Varsha

"The External Affairs Vice President represents the ASUC on issues external to the campus and the association- working with Berkeley city government, lobbying state officials, and sitting on the University of California Students Association board of Directors. In addition, the external affairs vice president supervises the appointment or nomination of students to positions within the lobbies and on U.C. system-wide committees, serves as the ASUC representative to the association of U.C. campuses.

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS vice president

Regan

"The Academic Affairs Vice President of the ASUC ensures student wellness and student success on our campus and serves as the liaison to the Academic Senate, a bureaucratic and out-of-touch entity responsible for all academic policy and practices. In order to make the Academic Senate work for students, the AAVP must utilize every second at every seat at every table in the Academic Senate, push for comprehensive and transformative academic policy to promote an equitable experience for all students, and demand that students be chosen over pride, profit, and reputation.”

AN ASUC FOR YOU

If only one thing about the ASUC is clear to students on campus, it’s that the Association is ineffective, out-of-touch, and inaccessible. As ASUC President,* Teddy will transform the ASUC into an institution that works for everyone, specifically by addressing matters pertaining to its transparency, accessibility, and impact. Firstly, Teddy will implement measures to increase the ASUC’s transparency to the campus community, so that the population is able to better hold the ASUC accountable. Teddy will, secondly, create reforms to broaden accessibility to the ASUC for all students, especially those historically excluded from the institution. Finally, Teddy will work with leaders and campus stakeholders to reimagine the ASUC’s potential to positively impact student life and beyond.

RECONFIGURING THE CAMPUS CLIMATE

With the tense sociopolitical climate looming overhead, UC Berkeley’s campus climate has become deeply unhealthy. AS ASUC President,* Teddy will energize the campus behind a shared sense of community, specifically through programming, advocacy, and holding the University accountable for its target 2020 goals. Firstly, Teddy will use the Office of the President to develop impactful programming that connects the campus community and intentionally uplifts diverse narratives. Teddy will, also, keep constant channels of communication open for the student body, so that her advocacy priorities as President* remain in harmony with the most pressing needs on campus. Finally, Teddy will ensure UC Berkeley is ready to enter 2020, by holding the University accountable for its years-old promises to center those in the margins.

BECOMING BERKELEY

Despite being heralded as the “#1 Public University” in America, UC Berkeley consistently fails its most vulnerable students. As ASUC President,* Teddy will challenge administrators, faculty, and students to think more critically about what it truly means to be the “#1 Public University,” particularly with respect to basic needs, safety, and wellness on campus. Firstly, Teddy will develop infrastructure to streamline access to basic needs for food insecure and unhoused students, while also giving consideration to UC Berkeley’s food insecure and unhoused neighbors. Teddy will, also, work to implement alternative safety tactics to reduce militarized police presence on campus, which will ultimately make Berkeley safer for students more likely to suffer police violence. Lastly, Teddy will work with relevant campus entities to combat the culture of self-sacrificing and establish an all-encompassing understanding of wellness on campus.

AN ASUC FOR YOU

How can we make the ASUC into an institution that works for everyone?

I. Increase Transparency

a. Institutionalize a Spring ASUC Town Hall, at which the President delivers a “State of the Association” address that sparks collective reflection, allows for community feedback, and inspires officials within the Association to chart a course forward.

b. Create accessible, public video coverage of ASUC business, by partnering with CalTV to implement a weekly recap program for all Senate meetings.

c. Re-envision the purpose of regular official reports, by expanding the forms they may take, the process to submit them, and the criteria they’re evaluated on.

II. Broaden Accessibility

a. Empower future leaders by establishing bi-annual leadership development trainings through the LEAD Center that teach uplifting leadership practices to inexperienced and underrepresented students interested in on-campus advocacy.

b. Collaborate with the Chief Legal Officer and the ASUC Alumni Association to explore alternative forms of compensation that respect the labor of ASUC officials, while also prioritizing the financial needs of the organizations that rely on our funds.

c. Decentralize ASUC leadership opportunities and combat the insulation of authority, by creating strict dissemination protocols that ensure the equitable, intentional publication of openings for newcomers to serve on commissions, committees, boards, et cetera.

III. Reimagine Impact

a. Establish an “ASUC x Community Summit,” where community members and leaders are empowered to express the fullest extent of their concerns to elected officials.

b. Ignite a culture of service through collaboration with the Public Service Center to institutionalize regular ASUC Service Days that inspire affiliates to invest in the world beyond the campus and the institution.

c. Unite the ASUC behind shared purpose and values, by creating a more thorough understanding of and investment in the Advocacy Agenda.

RECONFIGURING THE CAMPUS CLIMATE

How can we energize the campus behind a shared sense of community?

I. Develop Programming

a. Leverage University relationships to more regularly bring informative, inspirational, and diverse speakers to Berkeley for on-campus engagements that are of little or no cost to students.

b. Demystify and revitalize CalLink as a hub for Registered Student Organizations to improve partnerships, increase event visibility, and encourage resource sharing.

c. Return the power of programming to the Office of the President, by maintaining a regular, multi-faceted presence on Sproul that allows students to feel meaningfully connected to ASUC leadership.

II. Amplify Advocacy

a. Establish an “RRC Task Force” within the Office of the President to uplift existing efforts to recruit and retain underrepresented students, without co-opting work.

b. Amplify student voices, by crafting a Student Stakeholder Policy that requires executives to bring at least one non-ASUC affiliated student to administrative meetings on a regular basis.

c. Institutionalize the “OP Priorities Survey” to allow students to anonymously and regularly submit critical advocacy issues for consideration.

III. Center Those in the Margins

a. Foster gender equity and queer/trans inclusivity on campus, through supporting: the inclusion of pronouns on Cal1Cards and CalCentral, the expansion of gender neutral bathroom accessibility, and the integration of more robust reproductive services at the TANG Center, including subsidized Plan B and medicated abortion services.

b. Hold administrators accountable for the impending “2020 Outcomes” listed in the 2009 Strategic Plan for Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity with emphasis on the University’s goals to diversify campus faculty and eliminate recruitment and retention disparities. This includes holding the University accountable to their commitment to the HSI initiative.

c. Establish a “Disabled Students’ Commission” within the ASUC to allow for identifying students to control the narrative surrounding disability, while using ASUC resources to expand DSP advocacy on campus.

BECOMING BERKELEY

What does it mean to truly be the #1 public university?

I. Basic Needs Accessibility

a. Expand efforts to redistribute excess food, by developing a seamless pipeline that carries food from RSO events, CalGreek houses, Co-Ops, and CalDining facilities to the Food Pantry and unhoused folks in the area.

b. Advocate alongside the Student Advocate’s Office for University properties and CalGreek homes to remain open over academic breaks and support efforts to provide temporarily unhoused students with a guaranteed alternative.

c. Work with the University to guarantee the implementation of the Master Housing Plan and to ensure development happens without consequently gentrifying the city or surrounding areas.

II. Inclusive Safety Tactics

a. Expand the Community Service Officer/BearWalk program, in an effort to keep Cal safe without increasing the presence of militarized police officers on campus.

b. Establish a “Student Safety Survey” that allows for students to report non-emergent safety concerns to a non-police authority, who may then be able to take corrective action or advise on next steps.

c. Work with PATH to Care to expand their capacity to offer non-confidential services (i.e. drop-in office hours) and hold the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination accountable for its failure to offer consistently equitable, expedient services to students in need.

III. All-Encompassing Wellness

a. Advocate to establish a voluntary mental health screening provided to incoming-students, who’ve submitted their Statement of Intent to Register.

b. Develop meaningful programs for students suffering from substance abuse, while also educating the campus about the signs of an addiction through partnership with SoBears.

c. Develop a partnership with the Ann Chandler Public Health Center to ensure students without SHIP or the financial capacity to pay a fee receive necessary services, such as vaccinations.

Strategic Alliances

Streamline Business Practices and Protocols

Strengthen Community Engagement

Strategic Alliances:

• Serve as an expert in business development and property management to ensure that space allocation in Lower Sproul Plaza and the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union basement provides all student organizations timely and equitable resources in accordance with the ASUC’s mission.

• Serve as a skilled negotiator and mediator between the Senate, Executive Leadership, Commissions, and RSOs with the ASUC’s mission at the core of each interaction.

• Improve the campus culture by making the ASUC salient to students again; including making it more visible and accessible -- starting by publicizing accomplishments on the ASUC Student Union’s digital signage.

• Collaborate with the Basic Needs Center to ensure Basic Needs can be central in all ASUC efforts and its sponsored organizations. This includes increasing advocacy within administrative fee allocation and grants committees.

Streamline Business Practices and Protocols

• Partner with the Senate, Commissions, and other ASUC affiliate organization to streamline practices and protocols. Access to the ASUC should not be cumbersome -- this includes attending weekly Senate meetings.

• Partner with RSOs to ensure they have adequate access to resources — a goal I hope to achieve through maximizing the amount of available space on campus by identifying underutilized locations alongside the Office of Academic and Space Planning. I also hope to work alongside the Student Union’s board to continue expanding space available in both.

• Partner with the Student Union Board of Directors to ensure ethical investment in small business and ensure priority space for organizations that serve marginalized students. The Student Union should be an inclusive place for every student.

Strengthen Community Engagement

• I will work to ensure that all students have a say in the organization and governance of UC Berkeley by keeping processes practical and achievable by no longer relying on Senate for dialogue with administrators. Instead, I will host monthly town halls and meetings for student identity groups and other organizations to talk with the campus’ Chancellor and her cabinet.

• I will collaborate with the Office of Accountability in the ASUC to ensure that there is a succession plan in place to transfer institutional knowledge when cabinet terms end so that students are not harmed by ASUC transitions.

• I will collaborate with the Vice Chancellor of Admissions and other stakeholders to ensure that diversity and inclusion are considered in the admissions process; and that the University increases recruitment and retention efforts for students of color.

• I will collaborate with bridges and the Vice Chancellor of Admissions to ensure that the University hires faculty that represents the diversity of the student population.

OUR UNIVERSITY

• Fighting for #FundtheUC

• Securing our basic needs

• Strengthening Title IX

THE CITY & COMMUNITY

• Bringing town and gown together

• Building more, affordable housing

• Organizing with communities

BEYOND BERKELEY

• Championing progressive values

• Making our voices heard (election 2020)

• Making sure we count (census 2020)

OUR UNIVERSITY

• Fighting for #FundtheUC

  • The University of California system was supposed to be accessible and affordable to ordinary California families — but thanks to decades of state disinvestment, it’s getting harder and harder for students to get accepted to a UC, enroll in the classes they need to graduate, and access critical services like academic advising and mental health counseling.

    Varsha will fight for #FundtheUC by pressuring the Governor and state Legislature to reinvest in the University of California — in classes and student services — in their state budget. She will also pressure the state to place a general obligation bond on the 2020 ballot so that the UC has the resources it needs to renovate and expand its infrastructure for its growing student population.

    To do this, Varsha will organize students to attend budget hearings, phone-bank legislative offices, and lobby elected officials and their staff. She will also leverage her relationships with student leaders across the UC system, as well as administrators, to build a unified coalition and show the Governor and Legislature that they can no longer put UC students at the bottom of their priority lists.

• Securing our basic needs

  • California’s skyrocketing cost of living in California is leaving students behind. Far too many UC students are food insecure, housing insecure, and/or homeless. While existing financial aid covers the cost of tuition and fees for most low-income students, UC students are far less likely to see their non-tuition costs covered — including housing, food, transportation, and textbooks.

    Varsha will work toward securing our basic needs by working with student leaders, administrators, the Governor, and the Legislature to reform and expand Cal Grant to better cover the total cost of attendance — not just tuition and fees. She’ll also demand that UC Berkeley, the UC system, and the state invest in basic needs resources and emergency loans.

    On the federal level, Varsha will mobilize students to support expanding the Pell Grant, which has fallen for inflation over the past few decades. In addition, she will vigorously oppose any cuts to the Supplemental Nutritional Aid Program (SNAP), which provides critical assistance to students across the state.

• Strengthening Title IX

  • TW: sexual harassment, sexual violence

    Thanks to the dedication of student organizers, we have made significant progress on combating sexual harassment and sexual violence on our campuses. But we have a long way to go. Last year, the California State Auditor found that UC’s Title IX process is not in compliance with federal guidelines — and, making matters worse, the Trump Administration is attacking those federal guidelines as we speak.

    Varsha will work with fellow students, UC administrators, the Board of Regents, and the Title IX student advisory board to strengthen the Title IX process on our campuses — and she will not hesitate to hold the UC accountable when it puts perpetrators before survivors.

    Varsha will also mobilize students to continue to push back against attempts to roll back Title IX guidelines in Washington, D.C., and pressure the state to incorporate Title IX guidelines into state law.Strengthening Title IX

THE CITY & COMMUNITY

• Bringing town and gown together

  • Berkeley can feel deeply divided between the students and the surrounding community. In addition, students — who are a third of the city’s population — are still disproportionately underrepresented on City Council, on the Rent Stabilization Board, and on city commissions.

    Varsha will leverage her relationships with City Hall to bring town and gown together. She will work with the Mayor, Councilmember Rigel Robinson, and the rest of the City Council to engage students in city politics, identify and collaborate on joint policy priorities, and ensure that students are properly represented in the share of commission appointments.

    Varsha also recognizes that students and community members — such as low-income homeowners and long-term tenants — have similar needs and concerns before city government. In addition to working with City Hall, Varsha is committed to strengthening relationships with community partners to ensure that student advocacy on city priorities does not come at the expense of other vital community members.

• Building more, affordable housing

  • California is facing a housing crisis, and the Bay Area is the epicenter of it. When it comes to housing, students are paying more and more and getting less and less. The housing crisis forces far too many students to commute to campus, and leaves many of them without secure housing.

    Varsha will pressure university administrators, the city, and the state to build more, affordable housing. She will hold the Chancellor accountable to her housing goals, and pressure the university to minimize its reliance on public-private partnerships. In addition, she will pressure the City to upzone the campus footprint area, and support efforts by state officials to pressure localities to build more housing.

    But Varsha also recognizes that we simply cannot build our way out of the housing crisis. In City Hall, she will push for community benefit agreements and anti-gentrification protections for new developments, and in Sacramento, she will advocate for rent control reform and additional tenant protections.

• Organizing with communities

  • The Associated Students of the University of California serves a vital role in the student community, but far too often, it becomes an echo chamber for the most privileged students.

    Varsha will use her office, platform, and resources to organize with communities. She will work to engage various student communities on campus — including and especially underrepresented students, low-income students, and students of color — in the work of her office.

    To do this, Varsha will ensure that her office reflects the diversity of California students. She’ll be accessible to students who want to meet with her, and keep her work transparent so that communities can hold her accountable.

BEYOND BERKELEY

• Championing progressive values

  • For decades, Berkeley students have been the moral compass of the national conversation. Especially in 2019, as the federal administration attacks progressive values on a day to day basis, it is vital that our actions and our advocacy epitomize progressive values — and not just when it comes to college students.

    On the local level, Varsha will push city officials to back up their rhetoric with action, from unwinding residential segregation to ending contracts with corporations that aid and abet Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. On the state level, she will mobilize students behind private prison abolition, police oversight and accountability, access to reproductive care, and environmental justice. On the federal level, she will ensure that Berkeley students play a loud and prominent role in opposing the reprehensible policies of this federal administration. Varsha will also explore ways to support progressive policies on the international level.

    In line with her pledge to organize with communities, Varsha will solicit feedback from communities regarding what additional progressive priorities her office should mobilize around, and be sure to involve and engage communities when an issue pertaining to them is being discussed.

• Making our voices heard (election 2020)

  • Elected officials won’t serve students unless students play a role in electing them. Next year, the California presidential primary will be held early, on March 3 — giving Berkeley students a uniquely powerful position in selecting our presidential nominees.

    Varsha will take advantage of the earlier primary by improving and expanding upon last year’s Vote Coalition efforts to make our voices heard. This includes working alongside registered student organization non-profits on both voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts, as well as thinking creatively about outreach strategies that get all eligible students motivated about voting.

    Varsha will also pressure the university and the county to make voting accessible for students. She’ll demand that the university make election day an academic and administrative holiday and honor its Memorandum of Understanding with the California Secretary of State by incorporating automatic voter registration into CalCentral. She’ll also ensure that Alameda County sets up a polling place in MLK, Jr. Student Union so that it’s as easy as possible for all eligible students to vote on Election Day.

• Making sure we count (census 2020)

  • The 2020 census determines the political representation of the Berkeley community — and, unsurprisingly, students are systematically undercounted. Census officials lack the know-how to tap into student networks, leaving students with even less weight in the halls of power.

    Varsha will expand Vote Coalition’s staff to task it with making sure we count. Using similar voter registration, get-out-the-vote, and creative outreach strategies, Varsha’s office will ensure that students are aware of the census, and are provided with the resources they need to submit their census information ahead of schedule.

    Varsha will also partner with university administrators, city officials, and county officials to coordinate census outreach efforts, and push back against federal attempts to add a citizenship-related question and exclude sexual orientation/gender identity questions on the census.

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL

Our University must ensure our programs and resources are accessible to all students. As AAVP, Regan will ease financial insecurity by establishing an outreach program financial aid documentation and expanding the AAVP’s Grants and Scholarships Program through high-yield sources of funding. Additionally, Regan will look to close the research gap, lowing inequities in research opportunities. Finally, Regan, as AAVP, will build bridges to resources. They will do this by increasing resource accessibility and visibility, expanding the AAVP’s direct resources through the establishment of an ASUC Alumni Network, and advocating for University investment in programs essential to student well-being.

DIVERSITY IN PRACTICE

Our University must ensure our diversity practices are aligned with the needs of students. As AAVP, Regan will continue their work on promoting professor accountability, implementing inclusive classroom policies, and establishing a third mandatory question course ranking the class’s and professor’s equity and inclusion. Additionally, Regan will look to align the University’s diversity, housing, and basic needs initiatives with those of students and to increase student representation on University committees and other campus initiatives. Finally, Regan will look to better orient incoming Cal students by expanding theme programs and transition courses.

WELLNESS THAT WORKS

The University must take both a resource and climate-based approach in order to comprehensively address mental and physical wellness. In terms of a resource-based approach, Regan will demystify the process of finding long-term mental healthcare through establishment of a long-term care connector and eliminate accessibility gaps to the Disabled Students’ Program, including social stigma and faculty reluctance. Additionally, Regan will strengthen the campus response to sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH) in three core ways: prevention, support, and justice through transparency in the classroom and partnerships with Path to Care and other SVSH related resources. Finally, Regan will combat toxic campus climate that prevents access to mental and physical health-care, harms student well-being, and promotes toxicity to ensure long-term solutions for student wellness on campus.

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL

Expanding financial aid

- Increase transparency in financial aid processes by integrating instructions on CalCentral on how to clear a block

- Shift financial aid’s punitive measures (e.g. holds, cancellation) to proactive measures (e.g. outreach campaigns) for students needing to submit further documentation for aid disbursement

- Secure funding for new community-based scholarships in the AAVP’s Grants and Scholarships Program by establishing the ASUC Alumni Network, a critical opportunity to engage donors, and through high-yield sources of funding like CACSSF

Closing the research gap

- Reduce inequity in research opportunities through collaboration with the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarships and the Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program to explore long-term solutions to the accessibility gap of research opportunities.

Building a bridge to resources

- Promote University and community-based resources to incoming students through continuing current collaboration with the Division of Student Affairs

- Integrate essential campus programs into academic departments through the expansion of satellite programs

DIVERSITY IN PRACTICE

Addressing classroom equity

- Add a third mandatory questions to course evaluations addressing equity and inclusion in the classroom

- Improve classroom climate through enacting inclusive academic policies such as adding pronouns and phonetic spellings to rosters

- Engage and advise faculty and staff on diversity and inclusion through the Academic Innovative Studio and the Multicultural Education Program

Holding the University accountable

- Support student organizing through transparency and visibility of diversity initiatives through accessible town halls, online tracking, and regular campus-wide updates

- Align diversity initiatives, particularly the HSI initiative, with the intersectional needs of students by uplifting community narratives and advocacy

- Ensure timely progress of staff diversification through cluster hires and prioritize departments with lowest representation

Fighting for student representation

- Expand student representation on Strategic Plan Implementation Groups, faculty hiring committees, and other campus initiatives

- Collaborate with Equity and Inclusion to review and form suggestions from the MyExperience survey, inviting other community leaders to join

- Equip student representatives for success through establishing a Committee Leadership Program, a deep dive intensive training for appointees on navigating bureaucracy, values mapping, and coordination with the AAVP department

- Appoint Academic Senate student representatives strategically and expand Academic Senate student representation to address issues of student turn-over and transferability of knowledge

Expansion of theme programs

- Push for an expansion of theme programs that are at capacity, allowing more students an integral opportunity for community development

- Fill in gaps of communities not currently represented in theme programs (e.g. MEMSSA/SSWANA Theme Program)

WELLNESS THAT WORKS

Combating toxic campus culture

- Pressure Academic Senate to review stifling and harmful academic policies like grade deflation and GPA caps

- Raise honest conversations about capacity, mental health, and unrealistic expectations through programing to promote healthy, sustainable habits

Promoting mental + physical health care

- Streamline the process of mental health referrals in the TANG Center through establishing a mental healthcare search program, designed to schedule a first-appointment and follow-up after to check if the student went to the first appointment

- Partner with TANG and DSP to bridge accessibility gaps for students seeking accommodations who are unable to receive medical documentation through the TANG Center

Strengthening SVSH resources

- Reform the campus approach to consent education beyond modules

- Increase transparency in SVSH findings for continuing faculty and staff, allowing students to be fully informed of their classroom

- Fight for comprehensive and timely justice for perpetrators of SVSH, including advocating for University investment in essential campus programs like Path to Care

*Titles for identification purposes only.

Harassment and Violence Elimination and Survivor Support

• Sexual violence and harassment are prominent issues impacting UC Berkeley, that disproportionately burden systematically marginalized communities. Historically underrepresented communities face disparate access to university resources. I envision the elimination of sexual violence and harassment on our campus through the implementation of networks that facilitate student access to resources already provided by the university. In a collaboration with the Path to Care team, I will use my office to create culturally sensitive healing spaces for survivors. Acknowledging that everyone’s healing journey is unique, my office will serve students in varied capacities including community events, educational workshops, and healing circles. Our office will center the voices of womxn, femmes, LGBTQ+, and students of color, in an attempt to shed light on the specific marginalizations they face. My office is also work to increase student engagement through strategic social media outreach and marketing that will amplify our [ ] to communities reluctant to seek our services. I am specifically interested in serving the Latinx community, where I have found a community space in my leadership positions in TRENZA and in the ASUC Office of the Latinx endorsed Senator Idalys Perez. As I have previously led in TRENZA alongside Hermanas Unidas through Path to Care, we have worked to create community guidelines and protocols in regards to sexual violence, healing, and survivor support. The work we have started in Latinx community highlights the potential for collaboration across the campus community.

Expansion of Equitable Healthcare Services

• Sexual and mental health is an extremely significant aspect of one’s overall health. It is imperative that students of all identities are provided with opportunities to be educated on several aspects of sexual healthcare. I would want to collaborate with organizations like Sexual Health Education Program, Planned Parenthood, and the Berkeley Free Clinic, to create outreach events for various communities on campus who need the most support around this, such as LGBTQ+ folks of color and student sex workers. Another aspect of student healthcare that I find extremely significant is menstrual health. I would plan on working with and uplifting the work of student organizations, such as Ladies for Change and the [Students for the Institutionalization of Menstrual Products] SURJ??? that focus on menstrual hygiene and equity. I would want to collaborate with these students to also work on policy with the administration to establish the distribution of free menstrual health products and menstrual equity at UC Berkeley. Wellness machines, like the one recently set up at the RSF should be available at other locations on campus where they are accessible to the general public, and other off-campus UC Berkeley locations, such as dorms, apartments, etc. From my own personal experiences, from the experiences my friends have had, and from general knowledge on how the institution affects marginalized folks, I understand that seeking help with mental health especially after experiencing a traumatic event is extremely challenging. What creates additional barriers and discomfort is finding a source of help that one feels comfortable with sharing their life with and one they can relate to. During my term, if elected, I would also plan to apply to the wellness grants offered to create another Social Services counselor position that identifies as a queer/trans person of color to serve LGBTQ+ community members of color at UC Berkeley.

Champion Retention of Students of Color on Campus: Retention Resources for the Latinx Community

• Although the announcement of UC Berkeley taking initiatives to become a Hispanic Serving Institution is overall a positive one, it is important to ensure that this is more than simply a recruiting tactic without tangibly supporting the students it enrolls. I would want to collaborate with the Latinx community to create avenues for us to actively communicate with and hold the administration accountable in supporting the Latinx community in its entirety. The Latinx community possesses individuals with intersecting identities, such as Afro-Latinx folk and queer/trans Latinx, and thus have unique needs and challenges. The Latinx narrative is also historically Mexican-centric and it is also important that various narratives and perspectives regarding Latinx community retention. I would want to stay in connection with the administration while they are working on the HSI initiative and ensure that the community’s wants and needs are put on the agenda. On a community-scale, I would want to collaborate with both the Black Community and Queer/Trans community to host community education events that work to dismantle the Anti-blackness, homophobia, and sexism within the community. I also want to assist with the empowerment of the existing Latinx organizations and hostly fundraisers every other month to give back to the community members as needed as well as host community meetings every month in order to continuously receive feedback, critiques, and input from the community to ensure that I am doing the best I can to serve their needs.

Colleges of Chemistry and Engineering

• Grading Policy Transparency

  • The Colleges of Chemistry and Engineering are notorious for putting out classes and majors with the lowest average grades. The grading in these classes can often feel like a mystery. I will work with administration in CoC and CoE to require that professors and GSIs publish data on exactly how the class was curved and how each section was evaluated against the mean. I will work to open regrade requests for every tests, especially end of semester finals.

• Fair Unit Accreditation

  • Classes such as CBE 40 and the CHEM 120 series are extremely time demanding but are offered for 2 or 3 units. This devalues the work that students put in and disincentives working hard when one is not properly compensated for their work. I plan to work with the Department of Chemistry to ensure that students’ hard work is respected and rewarded fairly. I will revisit the recommended schedule plan for all majors within the CoC and rearrange suggested classes so class units do not have to be deflated to sum in at the 21 unit cap.

• Reserved Seats in Necessary Courses

  • Many majors in CoE/CoC require completion of L&S courses, but those courses’ reserved seatings do not reflect this, while they have reserved seats for undeclared L&S. This leaves CoE/CoC students at a disadvantage and a stressful position for completing required courses on time. I will enlist the help of CoE/CoC administration to start a conversation with scheduling admin in L&S to make space for students from different colleges in reserved seating during enrollment.

Student Involvement in Sustainability on Campus

Our Campaign aims to foster a culture of DIRECTLY including students in sustainability projects on campus.

• Sustainable Projects Competition

  • Many RSO’s are working independently on environmental causes, while University policy moves along without consideration for their ideas.

  • I plan on introducing a pilot interdisciplinary, campus-wide, and year long competition to dream up, design, test, and market a project to bring our campus closer to being truly sustainable. As ASUC Senator, I will work with UCB administration to approve scale-up plans to actually implement the project winner design on campus.

• Green Campus

  • The City of Berkeley is currently phasing out natural gas heating for heat pumps. Because the City does not have jurisdiction over campus, this is up to us. We should push the university to opt in for East Bay Community Energy “Renewable 100” energy plan, one that is 100% renewable and carbon neutral. Additionally, we must take a stance against fossil fuel industries by divesting and finding alternatives to their monetary contributions to our university. Environmentalism is for everyone and MUST BE MADE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL STUDENTS.

  • I have the necessary connections to work with the City of Berkeley to learn more about what the city is doing and how we can progress as a campus as well. I plan to push the administration to adopt the “Renewable 100” energy plan.

  • I will look into the logistics of installation of solar panels and urban gardens on campus buildings, especially MLK and Eshleman, then start action to install them on campus.

  • I will explore establishing a 1 unit P/NP field course for student-led campus clean up.

  • I will push for an environmental training to be presented to new students during GBO.

Source: EAST BAY COMMUNITY ENERGY “RENEWABLE 100” ENERGY PLAN

Expanding and Destigmatizing Mental Health

Counseling Outreach and Multicultural Support

• Managing independence, advanced curricula, and personal growth is emotionally draining and demanding. The stress of all these can build up and seeking help in counseling is not an obvious option for many students, especially those from communities where mental health is not easily openly discussed. As an institution, it is our RESPONSIBILITY to ensure that any student from any background, creed, and culture is fully supported. I will advocate for the University hiring more multicultural, cross-faith, and LGBTQIA+ counselors so that conversations are rooted in true understanding.

Expansion of Services and Spaces

• I will work to open up Tang Satellites on Northside to facilitate counseling for STEM students who frequent that area. I will urge the university to invest in counselors so that students are getting care when they need it, without ridiculous wait times in dire situations.

Pre-Health Community Resources & Support

• Creating a Pre-Health Hub on Campus

  • Meeting with campus administrators and pre-health organization leaders to emphasize the need for and to develop the creation of pre-med collaboration space/study hub on campus to encourage cooperation amongst all campus pre-meds, allowing for a space for pre-meds to meet on campus and to attain support and resources.

• Uplifting Minority Groups in Health

  • Building location partnerships and ASUC Funding to provide Additional Monetary Support for the Minorities In Health Conference, Highlighting to Campus Administration the Imparity in Increased Funding & Support for Pre-Health/Pre-Research Related Programs and Organizations for Minority Students, & Working With University Colleges, Campus Leaders, and Administration To Discuss Ways to Increase Minority Representation and Retention in Pre-Health Related Academic Programs, Research, & Pre-Health Council

• Establishing a Pre-Health Opportunities Bank

  • Creating an extensive and digitized opportunity bank full of 1000+ already collected research opportunities, scholarships, internships, post-bac programs, and programming for all pre-health students, especially those traditionally underrepresented and/or non-traditional.

• Improving Resources & Support for “Non-Traditional” Pre-Health Pathways, Majors, & Students

  • Expanding Pre-Health Peer Advising to be more diversified and to include a variety of majors outside of the traditional MCB/IB Scope. Utilizing Institutional Equity Organizations to provide more support for those pursuing Post-Baccalaureate Programs, Taking Gap Years, or working towards Grad School/Joint Medical Programs. Lastly, partnering with UCSF & Pre-Med Advising to create workshops for Applying To & Financing Medical School/Grad School for First Generation, Low-Income, Non-Traditional, and/or Minorities in Health.

Sexual Violence/Harassment & Intimate Partner Violence/Abuse

Increasing Comprehensive SVSH Training/Programming

• More Enhanced & Thorough Situational Training

  • We have seen increased instance of sexual assault taking place in registered student organizations (RSOs) and on-campus living, in addition to instances in the Greek Community, and in efforts to better equip groups and leaderships for such instances, I would like to partner with Path to Care to push for more effective programing and training for campus RSOs, for RAs, Health Workers (HWPs), and during the Golden Bear Orientation.

• Addressing Environment, MisInformation, and Campus Mentality

  • We want to support survivors no matter when and where their experiences took place, in addition to uplifting and supporting male, POC, and trans survivors as well. I want to fund and partner with Path to Care to utilize the My Voice Survey and survivor experiences to launch a social media campaign for the promotion of the center and its resources and to open the campus up to a larger conversation on consent.

  Strengthen SVSH Resources, Partnerships, & Programming

  • Addressing Issues with OPHD Process

    • Push for more transparency in the OPHD Process and promote the hiring of more diversified staff of CROs/Investigators for unbiased work on OPHD cases.

  • Streamlining of Tang Resources For Survivors

    • We need to support survivors- and the manner in which I aim do this is to continue work to expand the already existing survivor group at Tang, to support and aid in the final developments of the SVSH Healing Circle at Tang, to work to increase immediate survivor accessibility to counseling and external professionals via Tang, and promotion of free resources at Tang Center (ie. SHEP).

  • Normalizing Healthy Relationships & Mindfulness

    • Founding a “Real Talk” Program to have conversations amongst the larger Berkeley community about intimate partner violence and abuse, relation boundaries, toxic relationships, and mindfulness for self and others.

  • Leveraging Partnerships with Local Organizations

    • Formulating formal partnerships with local SVSH organizations such as Bay Area Women Against Rape (BAWAR), Alameda County Family Justice Center, and the Family Violence Law Center to provide pro-bono legal advising for OPHD cases, in addition free external confidential advocates and free mental health resources; in addition to partnerships with Equal Rights Advocates (ERA) who help connect survivor’s with legal help, lawyers, and counsel for pursuing Title IX related lawsuits.

Food Insecurity & Wellness

Combating Food Insecurity

• EBT Credit Acceptable @ Cal Dining Locations*

  • Some students are on campus all day, and need accessibility with affordability in terms of accessing meals on campus. Sometimes students go the whole day without a meal, or skip meals due to the desire to save money or stay on campus, and that can be changed with Cal Dining locations* (Bear Market, GBC, & Cub Market) accepting EBT. The main caveat is that EBT cannot be used on hot foods, alcohol,cigarettes, pet food, paper products, medicine, or household supplies, but these locations do present pre-packaged foods and cold food which are eligible.The goal would be to institute a sticker labeling system system for EBT eligible foods to allow access and knowledge of eligibility without stigma.

• Socioeconomic De-stigmatization of Food Security Resources

  • More CalFresh workshops for awareness for eligibility amongst middle-class & work-study eligible students (getting more eligible students signed up), in addition to lower-income students

  • Expansion of Food Pantry Resources

    • Using ASUC Grants, in addition to community and corporational partnerships, to build upon donations to allow for additional options and resources for food pantry and food security not only for those who are low-income & middle-class, but also those not traditionally eligible for CalFresh

      • Undocumented Students & International Students

  Promoting Physical & Mental Campus Wellness

  • Addressing Academic Stress/Anxiety & Campus-Wide Nutritional Health

    • Promote Cal Food For Thought’s Emotional & Food Literacy Courses to address academic anxiety/stress management & nutritional learning. Use platform to increase their visibility, linking these programs with Tang associated health campaigns, and increasing class times, funding, and programming via ASUC Grants.

  • Cal Rec Sports, Under Armour, & Cal Social Good Health Partnership  

    • Fitness and exercise have been proven to have a significant impact on one’s mental and physical health- and Cal Rec Sports & Under Armour’s Spring Into Fitness, Miles for Meals, and Cal/UA Giveback Challenges encourage and emphasize the need for students to be active, while also giving back to Basic Needs resources, such as Food Pantry. We want to utilize the platform of the ASUC to increase visibility for such programming along with the Cal Social Good, to strengthen ASUC involvement with such initiatives, to take advantage of the school’s partnership and sponsorship with Under Armour, and to ensure that an event and/or event(s) like these definitively become (an) annual occasion(s) to which students look forward to and are willing to participate in each spring.

  • Addressing Campus Mental Health

    • Advocating and having critical discussion with Tang to urge the onboarding of a greater amount of Tang counselors, especially those more diversified (racially/ethnically, socioeconomically, sexual-orientation, gender-identity wise, etc.)

    • Collaborating with administrators for drive for the extension of hours at Tang satellite locations across campus, in order to accommodate the needs for all students who wish to be seen in a timely manner

    • Working for the continued expansion the Tang Center’s Health Opportunity Fund (HOF), which can be utilized by the students who qualify to cover health-related costs.

  • Disabled Student’s Program

    • Pressuring administration and working to attain more funding for the Disabled Student’s Program (DSP) in order to better support student services, proctoring availability, and the streamlining of the DSP application process.

Increase Academic Opportunities for Marginalized Groups

• Streamline accessibility to the Data Science Lab (DLab) by putting on a DLab open house and have workshops taught by Centers for Educational Justice and Community Engagement Offices-identifying students

• Creation of equitable hiring practices and increase diverse faculty by working closely with Chancellor Christ and Vice Chancellor of Equity and Inclusion, Oscar DuBon

• Ensure that Underrepresented Minority and low-income STEM students are getting paid for research Expand current grant and scholarship programs to ensure the outreach, yield, and retention of underrepresented students

Securing Spaces

• Secure more study space square footage by opening up Wheeler, Dwinelle, Cory, and other buildings on campus to be able to be book rooms to study in after hours

• Expand current library times and renting spaces

• Create and maintain a system so the registered student organizations (RSOs) can book Upper and Lower Sproul for “Sprouling” to ensure that students don’t have to wake up at 4 AM to secure a good spot

• Reconstruct Hearst Field Annex to have more space for Black Students, Undocumented Students, QARC, Bridges, and the most vulnerable communities

Strengthen Professional Development and Alumni Engagement Services,

• Create a speaker series where alumni in industry come back to speak on their experiences in their respective fields by working with the Cal Alumni Association.

• Host a Diversity Career Fair in conjunction with the Career Center so that minority students are not intimidated by hour-long lines

• Work with the Career Center to have POC, LGBTQIA+, DSP accommodating, first-generation, and low-income specific workshops on how to create cover letters, resume building, mock interview and grad application assistance, and guided mentorship into the workforce upon graduation

Revitalize and Retain the Black Community @ Cal

• Validate all Black narratives by introducing Brave spaces to engage in meaningful dialogue

• Link the three Black populations on campus (Black Undergrads, Grads, and Faculty and Staff) to strengthen social, academic, and professional networks

• Increase wellness accessibility and visibility in the Black community by expanding current self-identifying programs financially

• Foster community with monthly programming events from SF trips to hiking

• Improve the Black experience at Cal by hosting an annual concert in the Greek Theatre

𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐒𝐈 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬

• Holding the chancellor accountable for her Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) initiatives. 
• Ensuring that intersectional Latinx narratives are highlighted in these conversations.
• Engaging in dialogue about the impact that this initiative will have on other marginalized communities.

𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐬

• Hosting biweekly educational forums to bring awareness to the POC community.
• Forums will be centered around campus policies, national legislation, financial literacy, and Road to Resiliency (which is a program for students on academic probation) 
• Hosting a fundraiser where we will see antojitos (Latinx snacks) and use this revenue to create a scholarship accessible to the Latinx community both at UC Berkeley and Berkeley community college

𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐱 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬

• Uplifting the work commenced by Rosa Lopez, my team member, to ensure that work can be continued for a first generation themed floor in the dorms 
• Promoting and coordinating work with the Student Learning Center (SLC) and the Educational Opportunities Program (EOP) to promote academic success 
• Creating video tutorials, pertaining to academic subjects like math courses in English and Spanish, and with subtitles, in order to make assistance more accessible.

𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐱 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬
• Helping prepare our Latinx students for their exit from UC Berkeley and into graduate school or the workforce
• Hosting panels with Latinx alumni from different backgrounds (transfer students, first year students, re-entry students) and from different professions to increase awareness of what lies beyond the Berkeley bubble 
• Bringing in consultants from prep courses to go over their experiences MCAT, LSAT, and GRE

Housing that is Inclusive, Affordable, Dependable

• Inclusive Housing

  • Expand the Unity Theme Program by securing more funding/resources to increase the amount of Residential Advisors and floors.

  • Revaluate and deconstruct the enforcement of a gender binary within the UC Berkeley Housing Selection process.

• Affordable Housing

  • Acknowledge and empower the general affordability of the Berkeley Student Cooperative by the creation of a BSC x ASUC Liaison.

  • Revitalize the Together We Thrive fund, originally conceptualized and successfully implemented by ASUC Senator Juniperangelica Cordova, to fundraise $10,000 worth of scholarships for Summer rent/housing deposits.

• Dependable Housing

  • Strengthen existing programs for Winter Housing and Summer Transition Housing by ensuring greater outreach to the QT Community and low income students.

  • Support the Financial Aid Scholarships Office in their efforts to institutionalize funding for housing security programs

Wellness that is Institutionalized, Accessible, Equitable

• Institutionalized Wellness

  • Secure and incorporate a LGBTQ+ Wellness Director that works alongside the Queer Alliance Resource Center

• Accessible Wellness

  • Planning and hosting 5 Wellness Workshops for increasing the accessibility of knowledge (Financial, Nutritional, Physical, Mental/Academic, Sexual)

• Equitable Wellness

  • Fight for hormone replacement therapy fee waivers through SHIP

Community that is Expansive, Funded, Spirit-ed

• Expansive Community

  • Institutionalization of funding for QT Community events such as QT Prom, QT South Asian Community Event/Celebration, and more.

• Funded Community

  • Reintroduce the Cooperative Opportunity Fund Bylaw 2202§3.3 to serve as a resource for events and programming that help build community within the BSC.

• Spirit-ed Community

  • Plan and implement a QT Community Tailgate on Lower Sproul for the 122nd Big Game Work with Cal Athletics and secure lower ticket prices for students in the Educational Opportunity Program

Increase Resources for Undocumented Students

Mental Health Resources

• Most of us are low-income first-generation students who are doing this all on our own. Stress and anxiety are things we live with as undocumented students. We live in constant fear of one day getting deported. Even DACA students fear this because of the current political climate. We have to deal with signs on Sproul that say “Illegal Aliens”, and for me, it’s very triggering. It makes us feel as if we aren’t human. I get anxious and start to worry “will they know that I’m undocumented?” This can have severe consequences on our mental health. Undocumented students currently have one mental health counselor, but I would like to work on creating an undocumented student support group, directed by one of the undocu mental health counselors. Talking with each other about our experiences and our traumas can help us heal, and for those that aren’t comfortable being in a one-on-one setting with a counselor, this can be their way of seeking help. I would also like to hold photo campaigns and events celebrating the strength and resiliency of undocumented folks as a way to proactively address mental health. For this I will work closely with student organizations and the undocumented student program to promote and establish this ideas.

• Financial Aid Resources

  • Increasing financial aid resources for the undocumented student population is essential for us to thrive in the university. Not having money to pay for tuition or food distracts us from performing well academically. I hope to expand the RISE scholarship and make it more flexible for students. I want to more students to benefit from this scholarship. To do this, I hope to work with the call center to obtain funding from alumni for this scholarship and others. I also plan on applying for grants from the AAVP office and CACSSF to obtain funding for scholarships.

• Academic Resources

  • The Undocumented Student Program provides academic counseling for undocumented students, but in my experience, the counseling isn’t enough. Many of us learned English as our second language. Many of us work jobs on top of our coursework and extracurriculars to pay our rent and groceries and need extra support. First and foremost, I want to work with the Undocumented Student Program to improve academic counseling. I also want to work with the Student Learning Center to support the undocumented student program with academic advising. I want to work with the SLC to have a tutor dedicated to working with undocumented students.

Collaboration with the Undocumented Student Center

• Thanks to the hard work of the undocumented student community on campus, the university will be expanding the undocumented student center. This will provide a safe space where undocumented students can study, go for resources, counseling etc. I hope to collaborate with the undocumented student center to hold workshops and community events in this space. I hope to organize workshops/panels that address mental health, financial aid and financial literacy, DACA, internship/job/graduate school preparation, and more. I hope to work with student organizations to hold events aimed at fostering community.

Create an Undocumented Alumni Network

• Most undocumented students are the first in their family to go to college. Personally, my parents have an 8th grade education and I am the oldest in my family. I didn’t know what to expect when coming to college. As first generation students, we are at a disadvantage. And as undocumented students, this university is even harder to navigate. In order to better prepare undocumented students for college and life after college, I want to establish an undocumented alumni network. Connecting undocumented students with undocumented alumni will better help students to navigate college life, apply for jobs, and much more. To achieve this I will work closely with the career center, the Undocumented Student Program, and undocumented student organizations to create a support system for undocumented students.

Addressing the “Muslim Ban”

• Creating a Policy Advocacy Team that would lobby for Muslim students’ and bring their issues and experiences to the forefront

• Coordinating with the Disabled Students Program to accommodate for those directly and indirectly impacted by the Muslim Ban

• Collaborate with departments to stand in solidarity through pledging to accommodate and provide resources to students coming from banned diasporas

Resources for Refugees / Sanctuary Spaces for Refugees

• Establishing mental health resources that are culturally competent

• Promoting the recruitment of refugees by creating a mentorship program between UC Berkeley students and local refugee community

• Promoting retention of refugees through establishing academic resources by:

  • Establishing scholarship opportunities,

  • Coordinating with DSP to provide support of refugees through note-taking accommodations

  • Addressing housing insecurity of refugees

  • Promoting online housing groups and networks

  • Delegating a housing representative in office.

Empowering the International Student Community

• Support in the professional development of international students through

• Hosting workshops to assist in work visa applications

• Resume building and cover letters

• Creating a grant to provide funding to Registered Student Organizations that serve international students to promote cross-cultural programming

• Partner with MENARC to provide resources targeted towards international students

• Embracing the cultural diversity of the International student community through hosting social mixers

Smoother Transitions for Non-Traditional and Transfer Students

• Centralizing resources for non-traditional and transfer students on UC Berkeley through a website or an app

• Destigmatizing utilization of resources through creating a resource fair specifically for these communities

• Promoting Financial literacy for first-generation students

• Creating a mentorship/buddy system for first-generation students