Undergraduate Student Government senators discussed plans for piloting discounted Metro passes, establishing a student workers union and providing an easier way to challenge USG funding on Tuesday.
Sen. Michaela Murphy, who announced her presidential bid yesterday, detailed future plans,including the possibility of implementing discounted Metro passes for undergraduate students.
Currently, the Graduate Student Government offers graduate students an unlimited number of discounted Metro passes. Murphy said she is working with GSG and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to find a way to apply this service to the undergraduate student body as well.
“It’s been difficult because it’s a really expensive program the way it’s modeled right now,” Murphy said to the Daily Trojan. “What we’re trying to do is … see if there’s a way to have a smaller pilot program to test the success of it and whether or not it would be worth the much larger investment.”
Since USG would fund the student Metro passes, Murphy said that if a pilot program were to occur, USG would select applicants through a general lottery system to ensure fairness.
“If this were to come through it would probably be [middle] to end of next year, academically,” she said.
Murphy also discussed her intention to unionize student workers in USC and launch an organization similar to the Student Workers Union in the University of California system.
“What we would really like to try and do is take one of the programs that they have at the UCs and find a way to shift the model to be appropriate for us as a private institution,” Murphy said.
Speaker Pro Tempore Matt Crane announced his continued push for student representation in Campus Activity Goal groups.
“That’s where a lot of the conversations happen, especially the one that discusses the creation of bystander training for the school,” Crane said.
According to Crane, only graduate students are currently represented.
Sen. Meagan Lane updated attendees about her initiatives for the semester, including a speakers amendment, increased student lounge space and cross campus cultural conferences. Lane said USG should make a more uniform system for students to oppose potential event funding.
“Obviously Ben Shapiro was kind of a crapshoot last semester,” she said during the meeting. “We’re trying to create some rules and guidelines for students to be able to challenge what the Undergraduate Student Government uses its money to promote.”
Young Americans for Freedom requested funding from USG for Shapiro’s visit to campus in early October. This led to frustration among the Black Student Assembly, Latinx Student Assembly and other student groups.
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