The Undergraduate Senate of the Student Government Association of the University of Massachusetts Amherst held its 1939th Regular Meeting on Wednesday, April 30, at 6:30 p.m. in the Cape Cod Lounge of the Student Union.

During the meeting, the Senate reviewed budget cuts, passed multiple appointments, approved a registry overhaul, called for improved public transit and international student support.

The meeting was called to order and began with an update from Attorney Benjamin Farrell and Attorney Emily Daniell on current Student Legal Services Office (SLSO) actions. The SLSO, brought attention to the student safety planning worksheet available for download on their website and encouraged the spread of awareness regarding the packet.

During the Committee of the Whole, Chair Esther Onyeka and rest of the Social Justice and Empowerment Committee hosted a bystander training session.

Ways and Means Committee Chair Maia Shteyman presented the proposed 2025 S-1 budget, expanding on potential cuts to SLSO salaries, the DIA fund, emergency fund and equipment fund. The remaining cuts will be spread between Registered Student Organizations (RSO) allocations, agency allocations and the SGA budget.

Shteyman communicated that funding was at risk of entering a deficit so the adjustments were partitioned among budgets that could tolerate the reduction. The end balance after all recommended cuts was 2 percent of the projected total budget, as is generally recommended, according to Shteyman.

The Senate will vote on the proposed budget at its next meeting.

Secretary of Finance Dylan Bellerive presented his findings in the fall and spring RSO and agency audits. Based on data derived from a random sample of RSOs, 72.1 percent of RSOs successfully passed the audits. 16.2 percent of the allocated funds were unused and returned.

This was the second audit conducted among RSOs and was the first that elicited formal consequences. Any RSO that failed the audit this year due to the purchase of an ineligible line item received a warning, but in the future, funds will be frozen.

S.95, a bill to amend Title II, Chapter 31, Title III, Chapter 13, and Title VII, Chapter 7 of the General Bylaws of the Student Government Association was introduced. The amendments were made to fix the infrastructure and timeline internally for SGA, so the RSO application process was streamlined and more effective. The amendments were adopted by the Senate and the changes were made to the previous bylaws.

These amendments include reducing the minimum number of members for an organization to qualify as an RSO from 20 to 10, with an added section 3B waiver requirement for these organizations.

Additionally, a third RSO officer can now be granted signature responsibility if desired.

During the discussion of the registry, they decided to remove the requirement to submit a progress update every 2 years, as there is currently no system in place to manage these updates or anyone designated to remove them. They suggested revisiting this idea in the future, but for now, it is not applicable.

The first 70 applicants will now be reviewed for RSO status on a first-serve basis.

The SGA pass a resolution calling for expanded high-frequency, all-day public transit between Greenfield and Amherst, including express options during peak hours and better integration with PVTA and FRTA. As the largest public research university in New England and a major regional employer, current transit services are insufficient. The goal is to improve access for low-income and local commuters and to add more direct routes to key destinations like Greenfield and areas beyond Sunderland.

“This is a way that we can allow for students who live in the region to have access to UMass Amherst, and can get here without having the use of a private vehicle,” Senator Jacob Nevins said.

“I think this has the opportunity to be a real game changer. As you know, housing in the Amherst area has gone up tremendously, and in Greenfield there are much more affordable prices, but there lacks a direct bus route,” Humphries said.

Senator Charles Walker-Hoover raised concerns about the safety and security of students on this potential new bus route. Nevins addressed the concerns with the assurance UMass would be working in tandem with the FRTA, Franklin Regional Transit Authority, systems to ensure the safety of passengers.

The motion passed.

SGA also passed a resolution supporting modifying PVTA routes 34 and 35 to include a stop on Thatcher Road near the University Health Services (UHS) building. With over 13,000 monthly visitors, lack of direct access poses a barrier to timely medical care. The UHS director has requested this change for five years. It is a pressing safety and accessibility issue.

The motion passed.

S.108, a motion to adjust the budget to allocate June pay following a clerical error was passed.

Resolution 14, which encourages students to wear black and join the Graduate Student Government (GSG), SGA and Office of Equity and Inclusion in front of the Campus Center on May 6, 2025, for a banner drop in solidarity with international students whose rights are increasingly under threat, passed.

Many motions appointing SGA members to positions for the 2025-2026 academic year were passed. They included:

• S.97 to appoint Dale Leone to the position of Secretary of Finance.
• S.98 to appoint Julia DeMarco to the position of Secretary of the Registry.
• S.99 to appoint Keira Cook to the position of Attorney General.
• S.100 to appoint Jacob Nevins to the position of Secretary of University Policy.
• S. 101 to appoint Joshua Gatto to the position of Secretary of External Affairs.
• S.102 to appoint James Caroll to the position of Secretary of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• S.104 to appoint Charlotte Hogan to the position of Secretary of Public Relations and Marketing.
• S.105 to appoint Matt L’Ecuyer to the position of Secretary of Sustainability.
• S.106 to appoint Peter Stanley to the position of Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
• S.107 to appoint Tyler Phan to the position of Secretary of Health and Wellbeing.

Officer Reports were waived, and the meeting adjourned at approximately 11:07 p.m.

Lily Powell can be reached at [email protected]. Audrey Falkner can be reached at [email protected]