AS Senate Recap – 10/29/2025
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 29th, 2025.
Senator Ono (left) alongside Senator Sussman (right) and Internal Vice President, Enri Lala (middle) in a Halloween-themed Senate discussion.
Library Hours Continued: Senators voted in a 12-0-2 ruling to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Associated Students of UCSB (ASUCSB), the Chancellor’s Office, the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost’s Office, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs’s Office, the Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services’s Office, UCPD, and the Library. The MoU outlines the agreement of a one-time transfer of funds from an ASSenate Unallocated Fund to restore additional Late Night Study Hours for the rest of the 2025-2026 Academic Year. The $20,000 fund would provide extended staffing for the Late Night Study Program, which would last from 10:00pm to 3:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday. Friday and Saturday operations will remain from 7:00 a.m. to 1 a.m. The program will be located on the “Mountain Side” of the first and second floors of the Library in the Learning Commons and Summit Cafe.
Senator Pascher emphasized that this move was just a first step to restore 24 hour library operations, and that AS Senate will continue meeting with administrators to continue talks on extending hours.
The Fight to Save Deltopia: External Vice President of Local Affairs, EJ Raad, gave a report on his campaign to “Save Deltopia”, announcing details of his town hall happening November 12th at 5:00 pm in IV Theater. The town hall is in response to law enforcement’s efforts to instate a 72-hour noise ordinance on any weekend they suspect Deltopia will be held. Outreach for the event has been ongoing on various social media platforms, including Instagram and YikYak. There will be a panel of local representatives present at the town hall, including IV Foot Patrol Lieutenant Joe Schmidt, UCPD Interim Chief of Police Matthew Bly, and Eleanor Gartner, a representative from Supervisor Laura Capps’s office. Panelists will take questions from students via Google Form and through audience Q&A, where students can inquire about the logistics behind the move. Raad emphasized his efforts to contact local news outlets, Greek life, SBCC organizations, and on-campus organizations to show up and have students “spilling out the doors” in response to law enforcement. Senators, including Outreach Committee Chair Noah Luken, emphasized the Senate’s ability to contact BCUs and other on-campus organizations to get involved at the town hall.
Food Security Initiatives: A.S. President Le Ahn Metzger gave an update on her projects, including her recent meetings with the Basic Needs Office and the Academic Senate on donating and offering meal swipes and meal donations from restaurants in the area. These initiatives follow SNAP benefits being withheld for the month of November, impacting about 5,400 students here on campus who rely on EBT benefits for groceries. Senator Neo Harter also announced future plans by the Outreach Committee to create a “Souper Kitchen”, which would serve as a soup kitchen and resource for students to utilize on campus. That plan is still in the works as of this week.
Lastly, the Senators moved into Closed Session to discuss student fees and issues regarding budgeting and finances. The Senators immediately adjourned following the closed session, with no summary or discussion with press regarding the proceedings of the closed session.
The Senate passed the following pieces of legislation:
A Resolution to Establish the First-Gen and BIPOC Peer Mentor Advocacy Program (P-MAP) (Wahidullah–Ola-Olatain): This Resolution would instate a Peer Mentor Advocacy Program under the AS Student Commission on Racial Equality (SCORE) to support First-Gen and BIPOC students on campus. Mentors for the program would be chosen from various AS organizations, cultural clubs, and SCORE networks. Mentees of the program would be recruited through various first-year and transfer orientations and campus events.
A Bill to Amend Pardall Center Legal Code (Ly-Than): This bill would clarify the jurisdictional authority over the Pardall Center, allowing the Pardall Center Governance Board to oversee the operations of the facility and its resources. This includes managing student fees and budgeting, outreach endeavors to the community, and general decision-making over programs and resources.