Editorial: Students must keep attending meetings

Instead of shouts and signs from angered students, the UC Board of Regents, which convened at UC San Francisco last week, was met with silence.

In sharp contrast to the hundreds of angry protesters who stormed Covel Commons at the UC Regents meeting in November, only a handful of students were in attendance at last week’s meeting.

Though the items on this meeting’s agenda do not affect students to the same magnitude as the 32 percent fee hike has, this editorial board believes it is negligent for students to ignore any decision made by the governing body of the university involving the spending of precious resources.

At the meeting, the regents allocated $3.1 million to performance-based pay for senior management at UC medical centers ““ the norm for the past 15 years.

However, these are not normal times for the University of California and its students. As such, it is time to reassess what is “normal” in light of cuts made in other areas. While competitive pay may be necessary to sustain the excellence of the medical centers, several regents admitted that they found it difficult to approve spending during the budget crisis.

The regents also discussed where the UC will fit within Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget plan for 2010-2011.

However, only a few students, members of the Undergraduate Students Association Council, including USAC External Vice President Susan Li, were present to hear the discussion. If students expect to be taken seriously when protesting a decision that directly affects them, they must also be an active presence at public meetings during relatively less critical times, reminding the regents that their constituents are watching.

This board understands that the location of the meeting, originally supposed to be at UC San Diego, was changed at the last minute to UC San Francisco, potentially ruining many Southern Californian students’ plans to attend.

However, this is not an excuse for the lack of mobilization of the student body at both a UC-wide level and at UCLA itself. If we, as students, are truly concerned not only about the future of our university, but its quality and value for both current and incoming generations, we cannot fall into passivity or accept the lull of activity that winter quarter has seen thus far. Apathy and fragmented action must be replaced with vigilance and a commitment to our education.

While this board is not advocating protests against the regents, such as those of November, we support being well-informed about the decisions the regents are making. Rather than simply lamenting changes, students should take an active role in making their presence felt and attempting to shape decision-making at this pivotal time in the history of the UC.

It is the students’ responsibility, and the students’ responsibility alone, to show the regents and the state government that the fight is not over just yet.