The 27th Undergraduate Senate (UGS) unanimously passed a bill to expedite the placement of students on University committees for fall 2025 during their Monday meeting.
The “Joint Bill to Adopt an Alternate Procedure for ASSU Nominations” will establish a temporary nomination process in the absence of an active Nominations Commission (NomCom). The NomCom, which is responsible for appointing students to university committees, currently has no active members and cannot perform its duties. Vetted candidates approved by the UGS last spring have not been confirmed, leaving students unrepresented on several committees that have already begun meeting.
The UGS and the GSC will confirm newly filled seats by a simple majority, according to the bill. The Executive Committee, composed of the Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) president and the chairs of UGS and the Graduate Student Council (GSC), will confirm newly filled seats by a simple majority, according to the bill.
The UGS vote to ratify the bill was unanimous; the bill now awaits GSC action before taking effect.
“This is not a permanent change,” UGS Chair David Sengthay ’26 said. “We are asking that both legislative bodies confirm the nominees and we can get a NomCom running by winter quarter.”
The UGS also unanimously approved a motion that will require a two-thirds vote at a general meeting before sending ad-hoc, non-ASSU-related emails from UGS to the student body.
“Normally we just look for the approval of the UGS to send something out that is not ASSU official business,” Sengthay said. “[It] would be good to have an internal conversation and where to draw the line with using our email list.”
The UGS adopted a motion to send out an email promoting a petition from the Stanford Drag Troupe to support Drag Fest 2026, which recently lost University funding. The Stanford Drag Troupe does not currently have an annual grant from the ASSU.
Sengthay emphasized the popularity of Drag Fest among students.
“This was a big tradition and was becoming bigger and bigger every year,” Sengthay said. “Stanford Drag Troupe is working hard to find funding, but they’re really hoping that we can also provide some support for them via this petition.”