The Undergraduate Senate (UGS) approved grants for student groups, voted to declare Stanford a “sanctuary campus” and introduced a constitutional amendment to challenge funding rules for older student groups at its Wednesday meeting. 

Laila Ali ’28 proposed a joint resolution to declare Stanford University a sanctuary campus “committed to protecting the rights and dignity of all students, staff, and faculty regardless of immigration status.” The resolution would “prohibit the voluntary use of [University] resources, including campus security and local law enforcement, to assist in federal immigration enforcement activities absent a valid judicial warrant.”

“No student should feel unsafe on their campus,” said Ali. She noted that similar bills had been passed at Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania and other peer institutions. 

Sengthay said that he believes that collaboration on the sanctuary campus bill between UGS and Graduate Student Council (GSC) should produce “something that passes both bodies and has the teeth to send a clear message.” 

UGS senators Kyle Hon Chan ’28, Yameen Sekandari ’28 and Princess Ochweri ’27 presented a survey on housing and dining conducted this quarter. The survey received 184 student responses, with a plurality of responses from freshmen. Generally, students rated food quality at an 8/10. Poor food quality (76%), poor food variety (69%) and poor hours (57%) were the three most common complaints from students on the survey. 

The overall sentiment of the survey respondents was 48% negative and 52% positive or neutral. The UGS also advocated for improvements, including 24/7 hours for dining halls and an improved dining menu website. Students, according to the survey, also indicated that they would prefer increased meal options, cheaper late night prices and improved food handling.

“Ultimately our next step is finding solutions… so that students want to go to the dining hall, find something to eat,” Ochweri said.

UGS president David Sengthay ’26 suggested distributing free Stanford to-go boxes during New Student Orientation (NSO) instead of free shirts. Several UGS senators expressed verbal support for the idea. 

UGS approved club funding grants unanimously. Celeste Vargas ’27 presented the annual grant applications. UGS had 363 submissions for grant applications, including 109 from undergraduates. Undergraduate student groups initially requested approximately $9.19 million in funding. With revisions, UGS was able to reach its recommended budget of $4.5 million. Sengthay indicated that the final vote on the appropriations will be held tomorrow. 

Vargas stated that the Black Family Gathering Committee, Stanford Speakers Bureau (SSB) and The Stanford Daily are all organizations whose campus impact benefits both graduates and undergraduates, despite their primarily undergraduate membership. The breakdown of graduate and undergraduate funding was determined based on both participation share and benefit share.

Ali also presented a bill calling for the re-establishment of an on-campus election booth and expanded access to in-person voting for Stanford students, on which the UGS will vote in the coming weeks. She recounted her own difficulties voting last year. 

Will Berriman ’26 expressed concern that voting booths may become overwhelmed due to high demand. To combat this, Ali suggested designating one voting booth for undergraduate students and another for graduate students.

UGS last amended the constitution in 2019, according to Stanford Student Enterprises CEO Johan Sotelo ’25. Sengthay presented an amendment to the constitution to restructure Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) fee disbursement and reserve deposits.

“Standard grants have not been affected since my freshman year,” Sengthay said. The first part of the bill would allow UGS to take action to do away with such grants, according to Sengthay. 

“The total amount of funding in reserve accounts is 2.1 million,” Sengthay said. According to Sengthay, funding in reserve accounts totals $2.1 million, but only applies to old Voluntary Student Organizations (VSOs) — for newer groups, reserve funding goes back to the ASSU. If passed, the amendment would affect the 9% of student groups that still operate under this provision.