During their meeting Wednesday, ASUC officials and senators reflected on the academic stress the elections have caused for the student body.
In an unusually short meeting, many executive officers and senators chose to skip their weekly announcements in favor of making sure students were taking care of themselves, expressing their difficulty in concentrating on school in light of the elections and highlighting campus resources for support.
“There’s a lot happening in the world and it’s hard to stay focused on academics,” said ASUC President Victoria Vera during the meeting. “It’s hard to see that a lot of professors are not giving time off.”
Campus will be providing a variety of mental health resources to students, including community debrief spaces, wellness circles and counseling services to discuss the outcome of the elections and the political climate, according to Vera and ASUC Student Advocate Joyce Huchin.
Additionally, an ASUC Senate resolution, titled “Advancing Student Civic Participation and Institutionalizing Voter Engagement, UC” was passed unanimously during the meeting.
“Gen Z and millennials make up the largest voting population this year, so this bill is to accommodate for all voters on campus and across the UC system,” said campus freshman Cyn Gomez during the meeting. “We hope to support all communities and minorities in the next election, 2024, who are usually underrepresented.”
Senator Ellis Spickermann also announced that the Student Technology Fund is in the process of getting renewed with the purpose of providing funding for student access to various technologies and software. It will also support student project proposals and initiatives.
Wellness Fund committee member Lukas Viskanta spoke about the fund’s goal of supporting projects that aim to help individuals and communities across campus.
“We recognize there are health and wellness disparities on campus and strive to create more equitable access to programs, services and healthy environments for underserved and underrepresented communities,” Viskanta said during the meeting.
