Declared referendums will be listed below in random order. Please note if the referendum is for undergraduates, graduates, or the entire campus.

Applies to: UNDERGRADUATES ONLY

Referendum Contact: Skylar Paxton – paxtons@uci.edu
View Referendum Ballot Approval (PDF)

Do you approve the creation of a $2.00 per undergraduate student per quarter fee ($6.00 annually), effective fall quarter 2026, and with annual inflationary increases starting in fall quarter 2027 to support the expansion of New University’s resources and bi-weekly print?

The New University (New U) is the student-run official newspaper at UCI. Founded in 1968, the New U has sought to provide coverage of UCI and local news to the UC Irvine community. The paper formerly published its print issue once-a-week during the regular academic year; however, it has transitioned to being a fully digital publication since Fall 2018. Within the New U, a team of 100+ student journalists reports, edits, and publishes weekly articles for 10 sections: News, Features, Opinion, Sports, Arts & Entertainment, Graphics, Social Media, Copy, Photo, and Video.

Since 2024, the New U has committed itself to keeping up with the journalism industry and keeping content up-to-date with the surrounding community. From the reintroduction to our Features section to an all-encompassing rebrand to video storytelling, the New U has actively provided UCI students and staff with consistent and various weekly content.

The introduction of the bi-weekly printed newspaper will allow UC Irvine students to have a piece of UC Irvine history, acting as a memento that can be tangibly held. Additionally, the proposed bi-weekly newspaper maintains the fundamental legacy of a newspaper — a return to an era of UC Irvine student journalists who utilize print to inform students of the breaking stories of the month. Sustainability would be upheld with an online edition and a bi-weekly newspaper would be offset by the appeal from new readers: a distinctive printed campus newspaper, which has been absent since 2018 at UC Irvine. Furthermore, revenue from the student fee will offer valuable resources in preserving the New U student journalism at UC Irvine.

We hope the undergraduate student body will invest in the New U’s operating costs and bi-weekly print. Currently, all members of the New U staff devote 10+ hours a week to their duties. The student fees raised from this referendum will be used to support bi-weekly printing costs and items such as new equipment and article compensation in order to support the life of student journalism and articles, podcasts, photos, and videos created. A student fee raised by undergraduate students is an investment in student journalism and a staff dedicated to supporting its readers. Investing in a well-equipped printed publication and a dedicated newspaper team fosters a sense of community on campus; the New U is dedicated to ethical and meaningful involvement with the audience it serves.

If the referendum does not pass, the following would have to be considered until more permanent funds can be established: no bi-weekly print issues, insufficient resources for student journalism, and a lack of news coverage serving the larger UC Irvine community.

• The fee will be assessed to all undergraduate
• The fee will be assessed during the fall, winter, and spring quarters, starting fall 2026.
• An audit of the use of these fees will be provided by the New University via a professional staff designee of Student Government Student Media upon request.
• The proposed fee level is intended to fund student services as described in this referendum. However, in the event there is a year-end balance, the balance will be carried forward to the next year. The New University Editorial Board will make recommendations on how the carryforwards should be used, consistent with the scope of this fee.
• In accordance with University of California policy requiring a minimum return-to-aid of 25% for new or increased campus-based fees, a portion of this fee will be provided for aid. This fee will have 33% of the fee returned to financial aid to help offset the cost of this fee for undergraduate students who are eligible for financial aid.
• Starting fall 2027, the fee will increase annually based on the California Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI will be taken from the California Department of Finance’s calendar year annual average of all urban consumers’ CPI-U. CPI-U is a measure of the average change over time in prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.
• The New University is responsible for providing an annual report to the Chancellor on its programming and operations to ensure the proper and effective use of the fees collected. In addition, the report will be presented to the ASUCI Senate. Upon request, this report will be available.
• The majority student New University Editorial Board, with assistance from Student Government Student Media, will make recommendations regarding the operating budget and administration of the fee-funded activities, and will be responsible for writing and distributing an annual report on the activities funded by this fee initiative.
• This fee will sunset (expire) on its 30th year (2055-56) unless the undergraduate student body reaffirms this fee. This fee can be reaffirmed as early as the 26th year (2051-52); otherwise, if there is no vote to reaffirm this fee by the end of its 30th year (2055-56), the fee will terminate.
• In order to pass, this referendum will require at least a 20% eligible, affected total registered undergraduate student body voter turnout rate by submitting a ballot during the 2026 ASUCI Spring Elections, of which at least a majority (50% plus one vote) of those students who voted “yes” or “no” on the referendum in question must have voted “yes.”

__ Yes, I support a new per quarter fee, as described in this referendum, starting at $2.00 per undergraduate student for the Support Student-Run Newspaper Student Fee Referendum.

__ No, I do not support a new per quarter fee, as described in this referendum, starting at $2.00 per undergraduate student for the Support Student-Run Newspaper Student Fee Referendum.

__ Abstain (I do not wish to vote on this item)

Applies to: UNDERGRADUATES ONLY

Referendum Contact: Anber Tahmas – tahmasa@uci.edu
View Referendum Ballot Approval (PDF)

Do you approve the creation of a $15.00 per undergraduate student per quarter fee ($45.00 annually), effective fall quarter 2026, and with annual inflationary increases starting in fall quarter 2027 to support the Basic Needs Center’s services for undergraduate students? This fee will replace the Food Pantry Fee, currently $4.09 per quarter, which is set to sunset at the end of the 2025-26 academic year.

The Basic Needs Fee expands the scope of the sunsetting Food Pantry Fee by supporting the UCI Basic Needs Center, a centralized, on-campus resource that provides basic needs services to students, including supplementary food security programs and emergency services. Of the total student fee, 40% will be allocated towards the food pantry operations, 23% towards emergency services, 10% towards administrative costs, and 2% towards CalFresh application assistance; 25% will be return-to-aid. This student fee will be used to cover the operational expenses of the food pantry and the mobile food pantry, which offer a variety of food to any UCI student experiencing food insecurity. These expenses include, but are not limited to, the cost of food and operational equipment. Additionally, the funding from this initiative will be used to bolster programs that support student enrollment in CalFresh, and to explore CalFresh alternative grocery programs . The referendum will support emergency services beyond the food pantry and CalFresh programming, such as emergency transportation services, grocery cards and meal swipes, and emergency housing, which provide comprehensive basic needs support for students in crisis. If the referendum fails to pass, the Basic Needs Center will be forced to cut staffing and hours of operation, and reduce the frequency, variety, and reach of services offered to students in order to accommodate a decreased budget. These changes will significantly and negatively impact the ability of the Basic Needs Center to support our students.

• The fee will be assessed to all undergraduate students.
• The fee will be assessed during the fall, winter, and spring quarters, starting fall 2026.
• The fees collected will be managed by the Basic Needs Center. An audit of the use of these fees will be provided by a professional staff designee of the Basic Needs Center upon request.
• The proposed fee level is intended to fund student services as described in this referendum. However, in the event there is a year-end balance, the balance will be carried forward to the next year. The Basic Needs Advisory Board will make recommendations on how the carryfoward should be used, consistent with the scope of this fee.
• In accordance with University of California policy requiring a minimum return-to-aid of 25% for new or increased campus-based fees, a portion of this fee will be provided for aid. This fee will have 25% of the fee returned to financial aid to help offset the cost of this fee for undergraduate students who are eligible for financial aid.
• Starting fall 2027, the fee will increase annually based on the California Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI will be taken from the California Department of Finance’s calendar year annual average of all urban consumers’ CPI-U. CPI-U is a measure of the average change over time in prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.
• The Basic Needs Center is responsible for providing an annual report to the Chancellor on its programming and operations to ensure the proper and effective use of the fees collected. Inaddition, the report will be presented to the ASUCI Senate and AGS Council. Upon request, this report will be available.
• A new majority student advisory board under the Basic Needs Center, the Basic Needs Advisory Board, will make recommendations regarding the operating budget and administration of the fee-funded activities, and will be responsible for assisting the Basic Needs Center with writing and distributing an annual report on the activities funded by this fee initiative.
• This fee will sunset (expire) on its 30th year (2055-56) unless the undergraduate student body reaffirms this fee. This fee can be reaffirmed as early as the 26th year (2051-52); otherwise, if there is no vote to reaffirm this fee by the end of its 30th year (2055-56), the fee will terminate.
• In order to pass, this referendum will require at least a 20% eligible, affected total registered undergraduate student body voter turnout rate by submitting a ballot during the 2026 ASUCI Spring Elections, of which at least a majority (50% plus one vote) of those students who voted “yes” or “no” on the referendum in question must have voted “yes.”

   Yes, I support a new per quarter fee, as described in this referendum, starting at $15.00 per undergraduate student for the Undergraduate Basic Needs Student Fee Referendum.

   No, I do not support a new per quarter fee, as described in this referendum, starting at $15.00 per undergraduate student for the Undergraduate Basic Needs Student Fee Referendum.

  Abstain (I do not wish to vote on this item)

Applies to: ALL STUDENTS

Referendum Contact: Nasser Ssenyange – nssenyan@uci.edu
View Referendum Ballot Approval (PDF)

Do you approve the creation of a $10.00 per undergraduate and graduate student per quarter fee ($30.00 annually), effective fall quarter 2026, and with annual inflationary increases starting in fall quarter 2027 to support the function of the cultural and identity centers on campus? The fee will not be assessed in summer.

The cultural and identity centers on UCI’s campus are of great importance. These spaces not only provide valuable resources to students, they help students feel like they belong. Whether it is the printing and scantrons provided by the Center for Black Cultures, Resources & Research (CBCRR), the leadership opportunities and Dia De Los Muertos event funded by the Latinx Resource Center (LRC), the spaces to host events for affiliate Registered Club/Student Organizations (RCO) provided by the Cross-Cultural Center (CCC), the legal guidance and support provided by the UCI DREAM Center, or the programs hosted by the LGBT Resource Center, these centers help students thrive on campus through academic support and facilitate the building of community.

These centers also face budget cuts and constraints which impede the work, services and resources they can offer to students. Over the last five years, each of the Centers listed in this referendum has faced budget cuts that resulted in the loss of operating, programming, professional staff and/or student assistant funds. Furthermore, these Centers anticipate further cuts this year and moving forward, given early budget modeling and the pattern of budget reduction over the last five years. In order to replenish funds, Center have applied for Student Fee Advisory Committee funds. However, these funds are never a guarantee, as these funds exist for student needs across the campus and have far more requests than the funds to satisfy them. This is not a stable or sustainable funding model. In, the case of the DREAM Center, they have lost UCOP funds and are reliant on a portion of their operating budget from external state funds which vary based on legislative priorities. The funds generated from this referendum will stabilize the budgets of the listed Centers and ensure funding for student/professional staffing and operating/programming expenses at the discretion of each Center and their priorities.

The Safeguarding our Cultural and Identity Centers Student Fee Referendum aims to create a small $10 per quarter student fee that will fund student programming and operations of the following existing cultural and identity centers:

• Center for Black Cultures, Resources, and Research
• Cross Cultural Center
• Latinx Resource Center
• Womxn’s Center for Success
• LGBT Resource Center
• *UCI DREAM Center*The inclusion of the UCI DREAM Center as a beneficiary of this referendum is contingent on the passing of the UCI DREAM Center Student Fee Referendum. If that referendum passes, then the UCI DREAM Center will not receive funding from the Safeguarding our Cultural and Identity Centers Student Fee

  Referendum. If the UCI DREAM Center Student Fee Referendum does not pass, then it will be included as a beneficiary of the Safeguarding our Cultural and Identity Centers Student Fee Referendum.

  *Less return-to-aid, revenue from this fee will be distributed equally among the existing centers at

  ~16.67% each, with the inclusion of the UCI DREAM Center.

  *Less return-to-aid, if the UCI DREAM Center Student Fee passes, revenue from this fee will be distributed equally among the aforementioned centers at ~20% each due to the exclusion of the UCI DREAM Center.

  To best fit the needs of the centers, the fees from this referendum may be used for these purposes:

• Hiring additional staff to meet demands of students
• Creation of new programming and/or boosting budget of pre-existing programs
• Purchase of necessary equipment/items for the centers at the discretion of the Directors.The support and boost provided by this referendum will not only help our cultural and identity centers survive but also thrive for decades to come. May our generation and those of the future not only endure but prosper and bloom in spaces that make them feel like they belong.
• The fee will be assessed to all undergraduate and graduate academic and professional degree students, not including students in self-supporting graduate professional degree programs.
• The fee will be assessed during the fall, winter, and spring quarters, starting fall 2026.
• The fee collected will be managed by the Office of Student Life and Leadership. An audit of the use of the fee will be provided by a professional staff designee of the Office of Student Life and Leadership upon request.
• A new majority student advisory board under the Office of Student Life and Leadership will make recommendations to the operating budget and administration of the fee-funded activities, and will be responsible for assisting the Office of Student Life and Leadership with writing and distributing an annual report on the activities funded by this fee initiative.
• The proposed fee level is intended to fund student services as described in this referendum. However, in the event there is a year-end balance, the balance will be carried forward to the next year. The majority student advisory board will make recommendations on how the carry-forward should be used, consistent with the scope of this fee.
• In accordance with University of California policy requiring a minimum return-to-aid of 25% for new or increased campus-based fees, a portion of this fee will be provided for aid. This fee will have 25% of the fee returned to financial aid to help offset the cost of this fee for undergraduate students who are eligible for financial aid.
• Starting fall 2027, the fee will increase annually based on the California Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI will be taken from the California Department of Finance’s calendar year annual average of all urban consumers’ CPI-U. CPI-U is a measure of the average change over time in prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.
• The Office of Student Life and Leadership is responsible for providing an annual report to the Chancellor on its programming and operations to ensure the proper and effective use of thefees collected. In addition, the report will be presented to the ASUCI Senate and AGS Council. Upon request, this report will be available.
• This fee will sunset (expire) on its 30th year (2055-56) unless the undergraduate and graduate student body reaffirms this fee. This fee can be reaffirmed as early as the 26th year (2051-52); otherwise, if there is no vote to reaffirm this fee by the end of its 30th year (2055-56), the fee will terminate.
• In order to pass, this referendum will require at least a 20% eligible, affected total registered undergraduate and graduate student body voter turnout rate by submitting a ballot during the 2026 ASUCI and AGS Spring Elections, of which at least a majority (50% plus one vote) of those students who voted “yes” or “no” on the referendum in question must have voted “yes.”

  Yes, I support a new per quarter fee, as described in this referendum, starting at $10.00 per undergraduate and graduate student for the Safeguarding our Cultural and Identity Centers Student Fee Referendum.

  No, I do not support a new per quarter fee, as described in this referendum, starting at $10.00 per undergraduate and graduate student for the Safeguarding our Cultural and Identity Centers Student Fee Referendum.

  Abstain (I do not wish to vote on this item)

Applies to: ALL STUDENTS

Referendum Contact: Alan Peralta – peralta4@uci.edu
View Referendum Ballot Approval (PDF)

Do you approve the creation of a $6.00 per undergraduate and graduate student per quarter fee ($18.00 annually), effective fall quarter 2026, and with annual inflationary increases starting in fall quarter 2027 to support the UCI DREAM Center, which provides services and resources for undocumented students, AB 540 students, students from mixed-status families, and the broader UCI community?

The UCI DREAM Center offers comprehensive support and resources for undocumented students, AB 540 students, and students from mixed-status families, while also providing educational opportunities for the UCI campus community to learn about immigration, equity, and inclusion. The Center delivers individualized guidance, legal and financial resource navigation, wellness and mental-health programs, academic and professional development opportunities, and campus-wide events that foster belonging and understanding across diverse student populations.

A key program supported by the Center is the DREAM Project Fellowship (DPF), which provides funded experiential-learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students who engage in projects that foster professional development and campus involvement, regardless of immigration status, through fellowships. Since 2023, the DPF has distributed over $1.5 million in student support awards. Beginning in 2025-26, the UC Office of the President (UCOP) withdrew its financial commitment to the statewide experiential-learning fellowship program, leaving UC Irvine to sustain an annual cost of approximately $600,000-$650,000.

The proposed student fee would establish a stable funding source to support the UCI DREAM Center’s operations, professional staff, student programs, and partial funding of the DREAM Project Fellowship. This fee would ensure long-term stability for essential student support services provided by the UCI DREAM Center that contribute to educational access, inclusion, and student success at UC Irvine.

• The fee will be assessed to all undergraduate and graduate academic and professional degree students, not including students in self-supporting graduate professional degree programs.
• The fee will be assessed during the fall, winter, and spring quarters, starting fall 2026.
• The fees collected will be managed by the UCI DREAM Center. An audit of the use of these fees will be provided by a professional staff designee of the UCI DREAM Center upon request.
• The proposed fee level is intended to fund student services as described in this referendum; however, in the event there is a year-end balance, the balance will be carried forward to the next year to be used on expenses within the scope of this fee as determined by the majority student advisory board for this fee
• In accordance with University of California policy requiring a minimum return-to-aid of 25% for new or increased campus-based fees, a portion of this fee will be provided for aid. This fee will have 33% of the fee returned to financial aid to help offset the cost of this fee for undergraduate and graduate students who are eligible for financial aid.
• Starting fall 2027, the fee will increase annually based on the California Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI will be taken from the California Department of Finance’s calendar year annualaverage of all urban consumers CPI-U. CPI-U is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.
• The UCI DREAM Center is responsible for providing an annual report to the Chancellor on its programming and operations to ensure the proper and effective use of the fees collected. In addition, the report will be presented to the ASUCI Senate and AGS Council. Upon request, this report will be available.
• A new majority student advisory board under the UCI DREAM Center will make recommendations regarding the operating budget, and administration of the fee-funded activities, and will be responsible for assisting the UCI DREAM Center with writing and distributing an annual report on the activities funded by this fee initiative.
• This fee will sunset (expire) on its 30th year (2055-56) unless the undergraduate and graduate student body reaffirms this fee. This fee can be reaffirmed as early as the 26th year (2051-52); otherwise, if there is no vote to reaffirm this fee by the end of its 30th year (2055-56), the fee will terminate.
• In order to pass, this referendum will require at least a 20% eligible, affected total registered undergraduate and graduate student body voter turnout rate by submitting a ballot during the 2026 ASUCI and AGS Spring Elections, of which at least a majority (50% plus one vote) of those students who voted “yes” or “no” on the referenda in question must have voted “yes.”

Yes, I support a new per quarter fee, as described in this referendum, starting at $6.00 per undergraduate and graduate student for the UCI DREAM Center Student Fee Referendum.

No, I do not support a new per quarter fee, as described in this referendum, starting at $6.00 per undergraduate and graduate student for the UCI DREAM Center Student Fee Referendum.

Abstain (I do not wish to vote on this item)