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 November 12, 2025.
Senate Reportbacks:
Internal Vice President Enri Lala gave a report back on the Delptopia Town hall hosted by EVPLA, EJ Raad, where he spoke on the hundreds of students that showed up and those that spoke during public comment. He commended Raad for his efforts to get students to show up, and regarded the event as a success.
Additionally IVP Lala brought up his absence at Senate meetings this quarter, addressing the precedent of his position not always being present at Senate meetings.
Senator Sherkin gave a reportback on the Lagoon Safety Walk taken on October 22th alongside UCPD to identify places of safety concern throughout the Lagoon walkway. Both Interim Chief Matthew Bly and Corporal Bournes were in attendance, finding tripping hazards, broken lights, and uneven roads or gravel that pose as risks to pedestrians. Hazardous spots included tripping hazards near the cliffs of Campus Point, and the Lagoon Path near Santa Cruz dorms, which has no visibility due to the lack of lighting. The inadequate lighting along the lagoon pathway is the result of environmental concerns of disrupting the lagoon wildlife, and ruining the ecosystem. However, researchers find blue lighting fixtures are far less harmful to the wildlife than regular, harsh white lighting. Senator Sherkin urged her fellow senators to encourage campus facilities and UCPDC to install blue lights on campus, and check in with peers to give their testimonials of walking on campus, especially at night, and their level of comfort doing so.
The Senate Outreach Committee is continuing its work on the proposed Soup-er Kitchen, alongside a Mobile Food Pantry for students in Isla Vista.
Notable Bills Introduced:
Senators Natalia Pascher and Noah Luken introduced a Resolution to Establish Standing Policy 44:Use of Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models in ASUCSB. This resolution would establish clear guidelines for the use of Artificial Intelligence by the entirety of Associated Students, including BCUs. Under a newly established “Standing Policy 44”, the resolution would allow for the use of AI under research efforts, processing large data points, generating graphics, drafting emails, minute taking, and other tasks. These uses must be cited, particularly with research projects and legislative drafts.
However, the resolution also prohibits the use of AI for generating financial contracts and legislation without fact-checking fiscal calculations and verifying data. Additionally, members of the Association would not be able to manipulate photos or videos of students without their consent. The resolution was referred to the Liaison Committee. Senator Sussman urged the bill’s authors and the Liaison Committee to ensure the resolution specified that AI cannot interpret legal code or legislative pieces which he asserted is the sole responsibility of the Attorney General.
Bills Passed:
A Bill to Establish Join Oversight of the USSA Fund (Malhis-Jiang): This bill changes existing legal code for the Office of the External Vice President of Statewide Affairs (EVPSA), allowing both the Finance Committee and EVPSA authority over the United States Student Association (USSA) fund. Senators noted the change would promote transparency of the fund’s use, as UCSB has not been active in state or nation-wide level.
High Impact Proposal: Generation Conscious (Harter-Luken):
This project would implement eco-friendly laundry detergent sheet dispensers in all University-owned housing. The Senate passed the High Impact Proposal as amended by the Advocacy Committee in a 14-2-3 vote.
Funding:
The Senate approved $3,000 for the Senate Outreach, Liaison, and Advocacy Committees from Senate Unallocated for “impactful student-facing projects”, totaling at $9,000.
The Senate also approved $7,000 for Speech Forensics from Finance Committee following Xander Hepburn’s public comment, who was representing his organization and not within his role as AS Senator. However, the group was given the stipulation that it must be approved by Shoreline and obtain an AS account number.
