1. STUDENT GOV
Students Clash Over Honoraria Changes
March 10, 2016 at 3:01 pm by Supriya Yelimeli
Student organizations packed a contentious special Senate meeting in the
UCen’s State Street Room on Wednesday as the Associated Students
Senate continued discussion of A Bill to Reform Honoraria.
Lorenzo Basilio / Daily Nexus
The senate initially passed the bill on March 2, but faced opposition from
Boards, Committees and Units (BCUs), A.S. subgroups, who felt Senate
had not properly communicated the legislative changes. Honoraria is a
system of payment for students serving in BCUs, and College of
Engineering Senator Sara Maroofi and Off-Campus Senator Louis Mariano
penned a reform of honoraria to accommodate for the limited A.S. budget
created by undergraduate fees. Among other bill items, Senate passed an

2. honoraria cap which ensures that general appointed officials shall not
receive honoraria higher than $200 per quarter, chairs or vice chairs shall
not receive higher that $350 and senators shall not receive higher than
$400. Claiming a lack of correspondence with all BCUs affected by the
changes, 59 senators and BCU members signed a demand calling for the
66th A.S. Senate to address student grievances in a special meeting and
reassess the legislation to table it until Spring Quarter.
Several speakers took issue with the senate’s method of correspondence,
and said emailing BCUs the senate agenda was an inadequate form of
relaying information. In the demand for a special Senate meeting, signees
claimed that senate violated the A.S. 2015-16 Legal Code in passing the
bill, because BCU chairs affected by the process were not directly
contacted. According to the legal code, A.S. can legally amend honoraria
policies every Winter Quarter of an even year after having “written or oral
consultation with all parties involved.”
Lorenzo Basilio / Daily Nexus
“The fact that you all think this is a communicative process boggles my
mind,” Akshaya Natarajan, signee of the demand, off-campus senator and
second-year political science and Asian-American studies double major,

3. said. Natarajan insisted that while honoraria changes must be presented
Winter Quarter, they do not need to be voted on during Winter Quarter.
“These people are really mad, and if you weren’t able to tell, they’re pretty
upset. If we want to foster effective communication, it doesn’t make sense
that we’re passing this [bill] this quarter.” Natarajan said to the senate,
drawing affirmative snapping and a standing ovation from the BCUs
gathered at the meeting. “When we make mistakes, it is our responsibility
to apologize, and that’s what we didn’t do last time.”
Do not be confused, fellow senators. We work for them. – Akshaya
Natarajan
“How dare you pretend to represent student interests and tell them that no
one uses their honoraria for rent, or that they work for us?” Natarajan said.
“Do not be confused, fellow senators. We work for them.”
Kimia Hashemian, internal vice president of A.S. and fourth-year sociology
major, said the process did not violate the legal code because the BCUs
received the senate agenda via email, and that it is the senate-liason’s
responsibility to directly communicate information to BCU chairs.
Hashemian said the bill passed constitutionally in Senate with a two-thirds
vote, and that no students posed an opposition to the issue while it was
being discussed in Senate earlier the quarter.

4. Off-Campus Senator Akshaya Natarajan (right). Lorenzo Basilio / Daily Nexus
Ernie Piña, external coordinator of Queer Commission and fourth-year
black studies and feminist studies double major, referenced a comment
made by Mercedes Rodriquez, on-campus senator and second-year
political science major, who in a prior Senate meeting questioned if BCU
members would be able to use their honoraria for living expenses. Piña
expressed distaste with the comment, saying that asking “what are you
going to use that money for besides extra stuff” is insulting to those who
partially sustain themselves on the payment.
In response, senator Rodriquez said she also worked a part-time job and
did not expect honoraria in return for her services to the university.
“I just want to make it clear: Honoraria is not guaranteed,” Rodriquez said.
“So the people that come in thinking that honoraria is going to pay part of
their bill are coming in with the wrong thought process.”
Yanira Jenny Flores, Food Bank Committee chair and third-year
psychology major, said she agreed the bill would allow for more student-led
programs, but claimed her BCU did not hear about the bill until after it was
passed.

5. Lorenzo Basilio / Daily Nexus
“This bill affects all BCUs for the next two years, and it’s troubling to know
that all BCUs weren’t aware of this bill until after the fact,” Flores said,
adding that the general tone of Senate in listening to student requests was
“condescending” and that the BCU representatives “don’t need to deal with
that shit.”
Several students raised the issue of senators receiving higher honoraria
than BCU chairs, asking whether the system was justified in awarding more
money to certain student leaders over others. Unique Vance, co‐chair of
Student Commission on Racial Equality and third-year global studies major,
urged the senators to understand the value of BCUs, saying that the BCUs
support students whose voices “would not be represented otherwise.”
Vance acknowledged that BCU workers are aware of the limited student
funds allotted to them, but said further capping funds and subjecting
students to “barely no pay” was “problematic as hell.”
Kelsey Knorp, fourth-year global studies major and national beat reporter
for The Bottom Line newspaper (TBL), said the bill failed to recognize the

6. functions of TBL that are different from other BCUs, “lumping” all
organizations together in the legislation.
Jerel Constantino,
chairman of A.S.
Finance Committee
and third-year history
of public policy and
political science double
major, admitted to
faults in the legislative
process, but said fiscal
policy is by definition
“broad.” Constantino
provided a brief history
of honoraria, and
concluded by saying
the senate acted
constitutionally in
setting an overarching
fiscal policy for the
whole association.
In response to
suggestions of
reopening and
amending the
legislation, co-writer of
the bill Maroofi said
rather than amending
the entire bill, Senate
should focus on
addressing the portion
of the bill that proposes
a salary cap. Maroofi defended the portions of the bill that require thorough
liaison review processes between Senate and BCUs, but said “we do need
to find a better system to hold each other accountable.”
Chairman of A.S. Finance Committee Jerel Constantino at the Senate meeting on
Wednesday. Lorenzo Basilio / Daily Nexus

7. As the meeting pushed past its allotted hour in the middle of study week,
senators began to filter out of the room. Niki Elyasi, off-campus senator and
third-year biopsychology major, motioned to adjourn the meeting, raising
concerns of amending legislation without the full Senate. Alejandra
Melgoza, off-campus senator and third-year Chican@ studies major,
emphasized the senate’s responsibility as a governing body, saying “even
though there are 14 senators, how many BCUs are here?” motioning to the
crowded audience.
The number of senators dropped below the minimum allowed for decision
making, and Hashemian adjourned the meeting, pushing further discussion
of honoraria changes to Spring Quarter. The decision to pass the bill was
not changed, but several senators, including Ashcon Minoefar, letters and
science collegiate senator and third-year history of public policy major,
suggested the senate could write new bill language in the following quarter
to accommodate all BCUs.