Legislative Branch
Who We Are
The Legislative Branch of USG is the representative and decision-making body for undergraduate students, charged with staying in close contact with key administrators and students about important issues. This branch consists of Speaker of the Senate, 12 senators, and 6 Standing Committees. Their work is supported by the Parliamentary Secretary, Legislative Aides and Senate Aides. Together, they represent the interests of undergraduate students and create solutions to problems that represent a middle ground between students, staff, faculty, and the community.
Our Leaders
How to Join Us
Come to a Senate meeting! We meet every Tuesday at 7pm in TCC 350.
Come to one of our six committee meetings: Academic Affairs, Accessibility, Affordability & Basic Needs, External Affairs, Sustainability & Campus Infrastructures, and Wellness Affairs
Legislative Branch Project Tracker
See 2022-23 Legislative projects and latest work!
| Commitee | Project Title | Description | Last Step | Next Step | Status | Project Lead(s) | Team Members | Last Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Hour Dining | Extend Hours of Campus Dining | SPACE ToolKit Team | Looking into food truck series or vending machines | In Progress | Senator Singh & Senator Sambwhani | Senior Executive Aide Rianna Rios, Diana Carpio | 3/13 | |
| Sunscreen and Menstrual Product Distribution | Work with RSOs on campus to distribute Sunscreen and Menstrul products recieved from Cathartic to unhoused individuals | Distributed 48 bottles of sunscreen to mobile clinic for first distribution effort. | Coordinate large distribution event with other campus organizations. | In Progress | Senator Gillath and Committee Chair Monica Rodriguez | 1/31 | ||
| Rest SC (Commuter/Wellness Hub) | Sleeping pods on campus in a concentrated hub and/or Leavey Library | Selected space for RestSC in URC! | Deciding which pods the hub should house and purchasing these | In Progress | Senator Sambhwani, Senator Habibi, MENASA AL Eduard Ghazaryan | Natalie Patton, GSG, URC Team, Pres. Woodworth | 3/13 | |
| Sustainability x Speaker | Sustainability speaker series from every career path | Requesting Funding Phase | Meeting with Speakers Committee | In Progress | Senator Singh | Senator Feighery & Committee Chair Sara Stienecker, Senator Singh's Senate Aide | 1/31 | |
| National Transfer Student Week | Support TSA in creating awareness for their upcoming NTSW events and work to make this a permanent part of orientation (improving transfer student experiences in integrating to SC) | Meeting with TSA | Meeting with TaMisha | Completed | Senator Sambhwani | TSA Directors Sophia & Akos | 10/12 | |
| USCard Apple Wallet Integration | Adding students' USCard to their Apple Wallet | Meeting with all stakeholders at USC involved in the integration | Continued meetings after all logistics are researched | In Progress | Senators Sam Nadol, Maria Barun, and Michelle Lu | 🙂 | 12/1 | |
| Medical Supplies Vending Machine | Making medical supply vending machine more acces | Met with all stakeholders on 2/28, figuring out logistics for Plan B distribution | Will be ordered in next two weeks | In Progress | Senator Michelle Lu, AFFBN Commitee | Senator Divya Jakatdar | 2/1 | |
| USC Dining Halal/Kosher Initiative | Request tags for dietary restrictions at all USC Dining facilities | Conversations with USC Dining | Arranging a meeting with Paul about a new infographic | In Progress | Senator Sambhwani, Senator Jakatdar | Senate Aide McKayla Dorantes, Senate Aide Natalie Patton | 3/13 | |
| California Universities Coalition | Co-created an event for Coalition among all California Universities | Planning event with Chapman President on 2/18 | Event actually happening!!! | Completed | Senator Singh | 1/31 | ||
| Accessibility 101 | Social media campaign educating students on what accessibility is, what disabilities are, anaonymous testimonials, etc. | Created google form for student testimonials. Collected information from SAA is regards to allyship and resources. | Consolidating information to send to comms + recording footage for the IG reel | In Progress | Committee Chair Julianna Melendez and Allison Stowe (GM) | Committee Chair Julianna Melendez & Ahad Kajani | 2/27 | |
| Reporting Form Centralization | Clearly listing and labeling all USC's reporting forms onto USG's and GSG's website | Waiting for resources to be uploaded to the USG website, then will send over to GSG for uploading to their respective website | Waiting for resources to be uploaded to the USG website, then will send over to GSG for uploading to their respective website | Completed | Committee Chair Julianna Melendez and Allison Stowe (GM) | Committee Chair Julianna Melendez & Allison Stowe | 11/17 | |
| Class Recording Pledge | A campaign empowering students to request class recordings be available for all classes, to remove accessibility barriers to education. | Assigned a project lead | Establish new project lead | Stalled | Committee Chair Julianna Melendez | Committee Chair Julianna Melendez | 1/26 | |
| Pass/ No Pass Extension | P/NP Extension to Week 5 | Leg Branch Presentation | Senate Presentation | In Progress | Tyler Fischer | Mikena Moore | 3/7 | |
| University Grading Scale | Incorporation of A+ technology | Present to CAPP for recomendation to Provost | In Progress | Tyler Fischer | 3/7 | |||
| Digital Academic Resources | compile digital toolkit | compiling | confirm with committee then send to comm | In Progress | Kate Hsu | 9/27 | ||
| RA Emergency Kit Expansion | Expanded vital life-saving drugs in residential halls through on-call RA emergency backpacks or adding naloxone/EpiPen kits near AED kits to ensure their availability in times of time-sensitive emergencies | AAPP (Naloxone SC) would facilitate the naloxone administration training and provide the needed naloxone to RAs. Attended RHA open forum to express this proposal to RHA and ResEd. Mari Brown, head of naloxone distribution for AAPP, is in contact with SHC already and will express approval for project. | Meet with ResEd or RHA to further discuss concerns/views on this proposal. Collect more RA responses on RA opinion collection survey | In Progress | Brianna Sanchez | Brianna Sanchez | 2/22 | |
| USC Student Handbook | Provide USC students with information about many resources that are actively avaiable on campus that many are not aware of. It ensures that all additional resources can be allocated to students that are not hyperaware. Additionally, the project has created a small syllabus extension that acts as a 'Pocket Edition' . | Finalize the "Pocket Edition' version of the handbook, work to reach out to organizations that can potentailly benefit from the handbook, and specifically reach out to) Orientation Advisors and Coordinators for incoming freshmen in addiiton to Residnential Halls to properly expand and develop both our influence and USG's connections to the community - Met with USG VP to discuss possible merge with RHA, ResEd, and Student Health Existing Guides | - establish a relationship with ResEd, RHA, and Student Health Representatives- host a meeting with RHA and ResEd representatives separately - meeting with Emily Anderson, Dean of Undergraduate Student Affairs to discuss possible distribution of the pocket handbook- follow up meeting with USG VP to discuss updates with RHA/ResEd merge | In Progress | John Pace | Phong Do, John Pace, Brianna Sanchez, Karina Patel | 2/1 | |
| DnD: DPSxDulce Initiative | Create an open dialogue between USC students and DPS officers over a complementary cup of a Dulce latte and dougnut of choice. | Submit the initial proposal, establish contact with Dulce and DPS represenatives. | -receive recognition and funding from Leg and Senate - have 1:1 meeting with DPS Chief, Lauretta Hill- establish potential areas where the coffee chat can occur around campus- create signs, posters, and awareness of event around campus; start a buzz; possible announcements at Org-Wide/presentation at next senate meeting | In Progress | John Pace | Phong Do, John Pace, Brianna Sanchez, Karina Patel | 2/1 | |
| International Dance Day | International Dance Day would include several dance organizations and Kaufman faculty hostingdance workshops throughout the day. Students will be able to attend as many workshops as theywant and explore different orgs and styles. | contacted Kaufman dean, confirmed 3 ALs, reached out to dance orgs | figure out locations, confirm spacing and schedule, figure out logistics | In Progress | Karina Patel | Karina Patel | 2/9 | |
| Restaurant Crawl | Hold these restaurant crawls based on cultural months/celebrations. For instance, during Black History Month, I want to focus on local restaurants owned by Black members of the community. Through this method, I hope to highlight various communities found in South LA and promote cultural competence within USC students. | APASA, BSA, LSA, and MENASA AL’s have sent list of restaurants & routes | Monica Rodriguez will call restaurants for quotes | In Progress | Monica Rodriguez | Jake Velasquez, Yoav Gillath, Sanjana Sambhwani | 1/31 | |
| Reform DPS/South Central Narrative @ Orientation and Admissions Office | Reforming the DPS/South LA Narrative at the Orientation and Admissions Office allows South Los Angeles natives to showcase the hidden gems while breaking down the stigmas surrounding our community. By changing how it’s portrayed to students at USC, it encourages spending at local businesses and building new friendships between students and natives. | Emailed Jessica Neilson to coordinate where orientation process is at | Attend orientation trainings | Stalled | Monica Rodriguez | Manav Gundech | ||
| Local Business on Campus | Ensure that we uphold our leasing contract and make sure that we encourage students to explore the surrounding community by showing them what they can stumble upon. We can do this by making sure that vacancies are filled and the contract is fulfilled which places locally owned businesses in a vicinity that students feel safe in. | Reviewed village contract | Fill for an amendment | In Progress | Monica Rodriguez | Jake Velasquez | ||
| Fryft Expansion | Increase Fryft capacity or rearrange current restrictions. | Made a comms survey to gauge student wants/needs | meet with USG VP | In Progress | Monica Rodriguez | Navya Singh | ||
| USC x South Central Community Mural | Create a symbolic mural on campus collaborating with USC student artists and the dozens of muralists who paint all over the South Central community and neighboring arts district. | Meet with Aline Mora Diaz over Zoom to see where we could put our mural | Meet with Aline 11/1 to check out the stairwell & figure out next steps for permission | In Progress | Monica Rodriguez, Susanna Andryan | |||
| Neighborhood Council Meeting Attendance | Committee member attends bi-weekly neighborhood meetings with the South Central community. | Vincent submitted application & was notified that the board would review his application at the next neighborhood meeting | Attend next neighborhood meeting | In Progress | Vicent Cisneros | |||
| DPS Budget Transparency | Increase budget transparency by releasing the yearly budget for DPS so the general public can see how much DPS spends throughout the year. | Meet with Dr. Southers | Lunch with Dr. Southers | In Progress | Monica Rodriguez | Manav Gundech | ||
| Lethal Weapon Ban on Campus | Working to ban lethal weapons on campus, specifically prohibiting DPS officers from carrying, unless an extenuating circumstance presents itself, such as an active shooter. | Meet with Dr. Southers | Lunch with Dr. Southers | Stalled | Monica Rodriguez | Manav Gundech, Sanjana Sambhwani, Kai Cayetano, Taylor Clanton | ||
| Blue Lives Matter on Campus Reform | Educating DPS officers about the harm of wearing Blue Lives Matter apparel. Make DPS aware that Blue Lives Matter was created in response to Black Lives Matter and not because officer lives are in danger. | Scheduling meeting with Alma Burke | N/A | In Progress | Monica Rodriguez | Kai Cayetano, Taylor Clanton, Manav Gundech | ||
| Counselors, Not Cops (MHART) | Finding alternatives to calling DPS regarding mental health crises. One such initiative is Counselors, Not Cops where counselors assess calls and assist with calls. Through triage, counselors can determine the status of the situation and how to best handle the situation due to current circumstances. | Meet with Dr. Southers | Schedule meeting with Dr. Leaks | In Progress | Monica Rodriguez | Vincent Cisneros, Manav Gundech, Roger Alvarado | ||
| Community Advisory Board/Oversight Board Reform & Implementation | Reignite CAB and its function. CAB should consist of LA natives and begin to make demands in order to strengthen the trust between the community and university. CAB should be noting issues that may arise between the two entities and propose resolutions that the university can implement in order to remedy social inequalities. | Meet with Dr. Southers | Lunch with Dr. Southers | In Progress | Monica Rodriguez | |||
| DPS Hiring Practice Reform | Restructure how DPS hires its workers and ensure that no future ex-police officers are hired to work for USC. Make sure students have a say in the process. | N/A | N/A | Stalled | Monica Rodriguez | Manav Gudech, Roger Alvarado | ||
| Sole2Soul x USG Shoe Drive | Shoe Drive at USC in collaboration with recreational sports clubs, health organizations and Sole2Soul in order to donate shoes to surrounding community members. | Contacted Andrew Linares, a member of Midnight Mission, to speak about his organization during Org-Wide and contacted RSOs and assemblies about kickstarting a new competition from the spring semester | Collect a substantial amount of RSOs and assemblies to participate in competition | In Progress | Susanna Andryan | Monica Rodriguez, Maria Barun | ||
| Red Cards for Undocumented Students | Red cards asseting rights to legal officials | funding request approved, ordering | receive cards to distribute | In Progress | Heydy Vasquez, Michelle Lu | 2/1 | ||
| Generation Conscious | Zero Waste Detergent stations | Meet with Housing on Nov. 9 regarding feasibility | Working to find funding/partners | In Progress | Sara Stienecker | Olivia Heffernan, Navya Singh | ||
| Reusable Containers in Dining Halls | Implementing the use of reusable containers in residential dining halls for take-out | Had a meeting with Dining to talk about feasibility | Reaching out to partner schools to get administration contacts | In Progress | Sara Stienecker and Sentor Nadol | 11/3 | ||
| Greek Row Recycling | Partnering with sororites to get outdoor recycling bins on the row to promote student recycling (eg. cans) and divert recyclables from the streets | Reaching out to Panhellenic & LA Sanitation; Met with LA city sanitation | Get in contact with the Fig Bid, sororities, and stay in touch with LA sanitation | In Progress | Sara Stienecker, Elsie Bencke | Sara Stienecker, Navya Singh, Elsie Bencke | 12/1 | |
| Off-Campus Composting | Working with off-campus housing complexes to provide compost bins for students | Proposal Approved | Outreach with sustinability and environmental groups | In Progress | Sara Stienecker, Blair Batson | 11/3 | ||
| U-Pass Expansion | Expanding U-Pass program to undergraduates | Had a meeting with transportation | Talking with VP Allard to see how we can support the iniative | In Progress | Sara Stienecker | 12/1 | ||
| Converting Green Spaces | Work with stakeholders to convert lawns to native plants or turf alternatives | Met with the committee to finalize the pilot site | Do pilot site | In Progress | Sara Stienecker, Andrew Wilson | 12/1 | ||
| DPS x Social Worker Collab | self explanatory | meet with Southers | meet with new DPS chief | Stalled | Taylor Clanton | Monica; Kai | 2/2 | |
| Certification labelling on Approved Vendors List | add labels like "black-owned" to approved vendors list | Meet with Trojans Shop Local | meet with Trojan Shop Local again and look over the vendors list with GA | Stalled | Taylor Clanton | Kai; Karla; Monica; Paige | 2/2 | |
| USC Transportation Guide | Resource guide of Los Angeles public transportation for USC Students | Meeting with USC Transportation | In Progress | Olivia Heffernan | ESA Advoc Director Valeria Diaz | 10/6 | ||
| Language Expansion | Bringing more language diversity to USC | Contact writer for Daily Trojan to publish findings; contact Dean Anderson to talk with her about data and next step. | Meeting with Dean Anderson, Daily Trojan Publication | In Progress | Kai Cayetano | Multiple advocacy liaisons, Kate Hsu | 3/9 | |
| MENA Representation | Adding a Middle Eastern North African race category on university forms, then push to get it on the Common app and on the Federal Census | Meeting with Dr. Naddia Palacios, met with federal government representatives, implemented MENA as a race category on all university forms (except for the Common app since that is out of USC jurisdiction) | Completed | Eduard Ghazaryan | MENASA Advocacy Director | 10/12 |
*Data has been truncated for brevity.