UGS considers ‘ethical spending’ guidelines for VSOs

The Undergraduate Senate (UGS) debated a bill that would encourage Volunteer Student Organizations (VSOs) to purchase sustainable and ethical goods for events by avoiding companies that utilize child labor, green-washing and other unethical practices at its Wednesday meeting. 

The Joint Bill to Establish A Committee on Ethical Spending was first proposed in May by UGS senator Lizbeth Hernandez Rios ’25. The bill, which will be voted on next week, would create a Committee on Ethical Spending, based on the Stanford Board of Trustees Statement on Investment.

UGS senator Jared Hammerstrom ’27 asked whether the vision will include companies with low union support and high carbon emissions. Hernandez Rios said Stanford does currently have a mission to “reduce [carbon] emissions” and the Senate would like to support that initiative. 

Hernandez Rios also encouraged more local spending for VSOs. 

“We want to think about how we can best use [VSO] money to give [back] to the community, especially the small local businesses that are around Stanford University that we would love to support,” Hernandez Rios said.

UGS co-chair Diego Kagurabadza ’25 clarified that the committee created by the bill would be completely advisory and serve as a form of encouragement for club leaders to make more conscious decisions in their purchases. 

Hammerstrom raised the question of ambiguity with what is considered unethical and whether there will be an in-depth study on the potential unethical companies on the bill.

“In theory, you can name every company unethical,” he said.

Hernandez Rios said Starbucks was a clear example of an “unethical” company due to their alleged mistreatment of workers, while UGS senator David Sengthay ’26 named SHEIN as a company that allegedly uses child labor. Sengthay said that, according to the bill, it is important to encourage VSOs to avoid companies that participate in similar behaviors. 

In response to the preliminary report on the demographics of the Class of 2028, Kagurabadza said there are many actions that should be taken to consider economic status and race in the holistic admission processes. Enrollment of African American students decreased by 44% and Latino students by 12%, according to the report.  

“I think it is these facts that will [lead] administration to respond,” Kagurabadza said. “That includes actions that have already been taken with efforts to approve applicants in under-resourced high schools and communities.”

Some UGS senators proposed implementing new wellness measures and will conduct surveys assessing students’ views. Potential outcomes included a new “wellness” Ways of Thinking / Ways of Doings (WAYs) requirement, an increase in recreational spaces and the creation of skate parks, senators said. 

Following the passage of AB 1780 on Monday, the UGS acknowledged its role in being a strong advocate for abolishing legacy admissions in California. They noted that Stanford will need to approve and implement the policy for it to affect the University’s admissions.

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