AS Senate Recap – 10/22/2025

The AS Senate is a group of elected student representatives which serves as the policy-making body of Associated Students. Every Wednesday at 6:30 PM, the AS Senate convenes to pass bills and resolutions, hear reports from Boards, Committees, and Units (BCUs), and hold public forum.

KCSB’s Tatiana Jacquez brings you a recap of their latest meeting on October 22, 2025.

Associate Vice Chancellor for Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises, Willie Brown, gave an update on the San Benito house project, which would provide 2,224 new beds to house upperclassmen by the Fall of 2027 at a cost of about 1.2 billion dollars. The project will be paid for through student fees, and students will likely see an increase to student rates as a result. Additionally, plans to replace the Santa Rosa Hall are also in place, meaning students that would’ve been placed in Santa Rosa will have to be dispersed across dorms for underclassmen. Vice Chancellor Brown asserted that the increases in beds in other dorms on campus would be a temporary, year-long project, and many doubles will transition to triples to accommodate those students.

Senators inquired about capacity issues, and how that would impact student-life, from parking options and the recent ten percent increase in admitted students. Vice Chancellor Brown assured more parking was being built in lots on and off-campus, which can be accessed through the purchase of a campus permit. Additionally, Brown explained that the University is “financially in a pinch right now…[but the] new Chancellor is trying to solve that”, and increasing admitted students might be a good way to do so.

Vice Chancellor Brown also took questions regarding the Ortega renovations, to which he responded there are plans to turn Ortega into a full-service take-out dining hall, and there’s an opportunity to make it a 24-hour facility.

Continuing coverage of the ILP/Davidson Library UCPD Corporal Ariel Bournes of the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Unit spoke to the Senate regarding a new option to amend the issue of bike safety between the ILP walkway. Bournes offered up pedlets as a temporary solution, which are raised platforms for pedestrians to walk on, with the platform preventing bikes and other vehicles from traveling in that area. An example of the pedlets is displayed below.

The pedlets are modular and adaptive, meaning they can be adjusted as needed. Additionally, ramps and handrails could be added to ensure ADA compliance. Bournes offered a pros and cons list as seen on the presentation he gave to the senators. Price was the most concerning factor for the Senators. The example given was a block in downtown Santa Barbara that cost over $520,000 to construct, not including the costs to implement ADA compliant structures. On the UCSB campus, the pedlets would have to coincide with rules established by the Fire Department to ensure the area can still house fire trucks if necessary.

Senator Ly inquired about the cost difference between the barriers and the pedlets as a temporary solution. Corporal Bournes clarified that the cost of the barriers would be free, as they’re already in the possession of the University. There are no funding plans for the project, as Corporal Bournes and his team wanted to offer the idea first before investigating where funding would come from.

He additionally gave a report back on those who received citations from riding bikes through the ILP walkway. Bournes stated the individuals were contacted and given theoption to waive the $40 citation by taking an online module course on bike safety. All individuals agreed to opt into the course. For more information on the citations, click here.

After his report on the pedlets, Senator Sussman inquired about the recent rise in sexual assault cases and racial discrimination on campus. Particularly in terms of tackling sexual assault on campus, Senator Sussman asked how lighting on campus could be amended to make paths safer to walk along. Corporal Bournes suggested attending the Lighting and Safety Walkthrough on November 5th to get more involved on how the University will establish lighting options on campus.

During public forum, fourth-year Leo Brown gave a report back on a program that would install package-free laundry detergent in dorms across campus. The program would follow an initiative started by Generation Consciousness, aiming to increase hygiene and provide access to laundry detergent to students without any costs. When inquiring about the details of the program, Senator Pascher asked if there would be measures to ensure students don’t simply take all the detergent and sheets. Brown responded that dispensers can require user authentication with a limited capacity of swipes per week, or there could be dispensers with no authentication for ease of access. Much deliberation over the high-impact proposal will follow in the weeks to come.